Help Needed! Desperate for help!! 4 mo old EB with severe hypoplastic trachea

[Whoababy23]

Hello,
We are in desperate need of help/advice on our precious little bulldog puppy who will be 4 months old tomorrow. We received him at 8 wks old and that evening we noticed his breathing was pretty fast, we took a video to show the vet the following day, for his 1st visit and well puppy check up. Vet didn't seem concerned, said "he may be dreaming"... We thought, ok... We noticed when he played he made funny noises, we thought it was a bulldog thing, he kind of squeaked like Donald Duck... Over the next few weeks, he was receiving his puppy shots, he didn't get his kennel cough one, but one day he was having a very difficult time breathing, rushed to the vet, sent to the emergency clinic, was given oxygen, a mild sedative to help calm him down and x-rays... Diagnosis.. severe hypoplastic trachea and pneumonia. So antibiotics were given, and the standard (from what we've read) is that they normally do not recover from this, so his prognosis is poor, so euth is going to be your option... we said NO.. we brought him home, on meds and giving him nebulizer treatments. Of course then we are online looking up everything we can possibly find on hypoplastic trachea and what to do etc... Everything we read said that they can possibly get better, or alittle better with a growth spurt, so we said OK... we will give this precious baby his best shot by treating this pneumonia and getting him better and waiting for the growth spurt to see how he is doing... Well he was doing better for a few days, actually getting to be a puppy, playing, barking for the first time in weeks.. We were so excited and happy!!! He's been on multiple antibiotics for almost 1 month, with nebulizer treatments too.. He started to go backwards this week, pneumonia back and we compared his x-rays of his lungs last week to the new ones this week, yep, more congestion.. I also asked the vet to take an xray of his trachea again and to please measure it.. Which we did.. last weeks visit he did tell us that our precious little guy had one of the tiniest tracheas he had ever seen in a bulldog.. but I did NOT expect the size of the xray! You will see that his trachea is 3MM's in diameter.. SMALLER than a drinking straw... So of course we are devastated to say the least! Has anyone else had this diagnosis with their bulldog and what did you/your vet do? Is there any hope? I'm praying so very hard for a miracle for this little guy! I would just love to hear others and their experiences and things they did/tried to help their babies... We've done everything and are doing everything humanly possible to help him.. he's still trying to be happy and kissing everyone and it's breaking our hearts, as we don't want him to suffer.....

 

[Davidh]

Sorry to hear this about your pup. I have no experience with this, but I would also try to find a bully specialist to see if they have any ideas. Hoping for the best for your pup, and keeping him in our thoughts.

 

[helsonwheels]

Now this is same vet that said your puupy was probably dreaming and now he has severe hypoplastic trachea and pneumonia? Change vets and you need a specialized vet in bullies. Have you spoken to the breeder? Maybe they can help you as it's their pup. Or at least guide you to a better vet.
[MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION], [MENTION=3354]RiiSi[/MENTION]i any recommendations?

 

[Pennyblossom]

Bristol has a narrow trachea I don't know the MM but it is brought to my attention at almost every vet vist and we now have 3 vets for her. Her general vet that just does her routine items, the internal medicine vet that takes care of all her more advanced issues, starting with her regurgitation, recovery from pneumonia and any other issues that may come up, and her surgeon that did the stenotic nares and soft palate surgery we are still under her care for the next 6 months. With bulldog issues my vet openly admitted she was out of her capability. I highly recommend you see a specialist. This site is fantastic not only for support and resources but for recommendations in your area.
I truly hope it is something that can be resolved. Sending prayers your way for you and your sweet one.

 

[Texas Carol]

No experience at all with this, how distressing and yea, you need
a bully specialist on this asap! I'm so very sorry ;(

Wishing you the best and praying for y'all...please update, it will
help educate future members that may deal with it, thank you.

 

[Manydogs]

This condition has been considered to be genetic. You should speak to your breeder. Yes, you do need a bully specialist,though there is no cure,there may be recommendations to help. Do not put a collar on your pup=a harness should be used. Best of luck to you and your sweet baby. It may be a stressful go.

 

[2BullyMama]

Definitely need a vet with bulldog experience .... Where are you located-- maybe we can find one near you?

bulldogs tend to have small trachea so having an experienced vet can increase changes/options


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[Whoababy23]

Thank ya'll for the support and prayers, they are greatly appreciated! I'll try to go back and answer the questions, and yes, I'll be happy to give any and all info I have to help others if they are ever in this situation as well...

1. No, his 1st vet was for his puppy shots, he was taken there when he was in distress, who then referred him to the emergency clinic. When we brought him home that evening, we immediately got online to look it up and did find a bully specialist vet in our area here in TX. He's seeing Dr. Keith French at Bear Branch Vet Hospital in the Woodlands...So we made the appointment and we've been taking him there ever since. That vet has sent off his xrays to a specialist as well who doesn't think his trachea will grow with him during a growth spurt.

2. Yes we've spoken to his breeder, before I got that last xray with the measurements of his trachea, they were surprised because they said the vet he seen for his health check to fly here was excellent, which was the day before he flew here to TX. They say if we send him back they will refund the money, but he is not medically able to fly back, it would kill him, and even driving 30 mins to the vet stresses him out, so that's not an option either, he's under strict limitations of no heat, no stress, no over playing etc. All of which will cause him to have more breathing issues. The breeder says this is the first time they have ever had this happen. I've messaged the breeder since we got the xrays yesterday with the measurements of his trachea etc... haven't heard back from them yet.

3. No we don't put any collars on him, we have a harness, which we've been using since day 1, before we knew of these issues but especially now because of that.

I'm writing the following for ya'lls info and as well as for anyone else who has/will be/or is going through this...

These are the antibiotics are baby has been on for the last month.. mind you he's been going every week for the last month, so his meds have been changed weekly basically..
Clavamox - on for 1 month, just took him off yesterday to switch to a different one.
Baytril - had to take him off of that after 2-3 days due to vomiting and pooping bad
Doxycycline - handled that one ok
Gentocin - used in the nebulizer - did really well on that

Yesterday we did the switch off of Clavamox so this is this weeks cycle of meds
Gentocin - nebulizer
Convenia Injection
Orbax...

Along with all of that, he's also taking albuterol via the nebulizer, we've done Pulmicort in nebulizer, he's taken Theophylline chews and on cough syrup as well as Children's Mucinex.. He's also been on Apoquel 1 time before and again this week for itchy spots on the back of his neck.. We live in TX, and with all the flooding and rain we've had, there's been alot of skeeter and biting gnats... we think that may be what's been biting him.

Along with that they say put him in a bathroom with a hot shower going, we can't do that, that makes him too hot so we have the vaporizer going for him. We do lemon juice to help him get the phlegm up and out.. We do the coupage to help break up the congestion in his lungs and help him to get it up and out.

We will do everything we can possibly do to help this sweet little guy out! My family is very much all animal overs.. This sweet little EB baby is 1 of 7 dogs we have in our home.. No not all bullies, but each and every one of them are precious and are my children, just have fur and 4 legs!

Our vet, the bully specialist, loves this little guy, and he's hoping for a miracle and hoping he defies the odds and proves him wrong with him saying that there's not much we can do.. That his trachea probably won't grow with him. Last week he was doing much better, was 1/2 as congested as he was before, was actually playing, was happy to see everyone at the vets (he LOVES people) and was barking for the first time in weeks, although his little voice was hoarse from all the coughing he's done, but he was barking, he was being a puppy! So the vet as well as ourselves were worried at how the change came, he was doing so well... Today he's actually alittle better, thank the Lord! He is still wanting to rest alot, but after his lunch (we had to wake him up, and it was after his normal lunch time, but he needs the rest), he wanted to play alittle, which we were happy to see him want to play! He's always giving kisses, no matter how bad he feels, he's very loving and loves people... So if there's anyone else out there that has any ideas or suggestions on what we could do to help out this precious little one, please feel free to tell me, we want to do everything we can to help him! He deserves that and so much more!!

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, I'm so sorry you're going through this with Bentley. These guys really do become our family, and we get so attached to them, and will pretty much do anything for them to keep them healthy. I also don't have any experience with trachea problems, I've been really lucky that my guys don't have any breathing or joint problems. They have lots of skin and allergy problems, and my male has a genetic defect in his lower jaw. I just want to let you know you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I hope your little guy defies the odds and gets better. Sending love, hugs and prayers your way. Please keep us posted on how he's doing.

 

[2BullyMama]

Thank ya'll for the support and prayers, they are greatly appreciated! I'll try to go back and answer the questions, and yes, I'll be happy to give any and all info I have to help others if they are ever in this situation as well...

1. No, his 1st vet was for his puppy shots, he was taken there when he was in distress, who then referred him to the emergency clinic. When we brought him home that evening, we immediately got online to look it up and did find a bully specialist vet in our area here in TX. He's seeing Dr. Keith French at Bear Branch Vet Hospital in the Woodlands...So we made the appointment and we've been taking him there ever since. That vet has sent off his xrays to a specialist as well who doesn't think his trachea will grow with him during a growth spurt.

2. Yes we've spoken to his breeder, before I got that last xray with the measurements of his trachea, they were surprised because they said the vet he seen for his health check to fly here was excellent, which was the day before he flew here to TX. They say if we send him back they will refund the money, but he is not medically able to fly back, it would kill him, and even driving 30 mins to the vet stresses him out, so that's not an option either, he's under strict limitations of no heat, no stress, no over playing etc. All of which will cause him to have more breathing issues. The breeder says this is the first time they have ever had this happen. I've messaged the breeder since we got the xrays yesterday with the measurements of his trachea etc... haven't heard back from them yet.

3. No we don't put any collars on him, we have a harness, which we've been using since day 1, before we knew of these issues but especially now because of that.

I'm writing the following for ya'lls info and as well as for anyone else who has/will be/or is going through this...

These are the antibiotics are baby has been on for the last month.. mind you he's been going every week for the last month, so his meds have been changed weekly basically..
Clavamox - on for 1 month, just took him off yesterday to switch to a different one.
Baytril - had to take him off of that after 2-3 days due to vomiting and pooping bad
Doxycycline - handled that one ok
Gentocin - used in the nebulizer - did really well on that

Yesterday we did the switch off of Clavamox so this is this weeks cycle of meds
Gentocin - nebulizer
Convenia Injection
Orbax...

Along with all of that, he's also taking albuterol via the nebulizer, we've done Pulmicort in nebulizer, he's taken Theophylline chews and on cough syrup as well as Children's Mucinex.. He's also been on Apoquel 1 time before and again this week for itchy spots on the back of his neck.. We live in TX, and with all the flooding and rain we've had, there's been alot of skeeter and biting gnats... we think that may be what's been biting him.

Along with that they say put him in a bathroom with a hot shower going, we can't do that, that makes him too hot so we have the vaporizer going for him. We do lemon juice to help him get the phlegm up and out.. We do the coupage to help break up the congestion in his lungs and help him to get it up and out.

We will do everything we can possibly do to help this sweet little guy out! My family is very much all animal overs.. This sweet little EB baby is 1 of 7 dogs we have in our home.. No not all bullies, but each and every one of them are precious and are my children, just have fur and 4 legs!

Our vet, the bully specialist, loves this little guy, and he's hoping for a miracle and hoping he defies the odds and proves him wrong with him saying that there's not much we can do.. That his trachea probably won't grow with him. Last week he was doing much better, was 1/2 as congested as he was before, was actually playing, was happy to see everyone at the vets (he LOVES people) and was barking for the first time in weeks, although his little voice was hoarse from all the coughing he's done, but he was barking, he was being a puppy! So the vet as well as ourselves were worried at how the change came, he was doing so well... Today he's actually alittle better, thank the Lord! He is still wanting to rest alot, but after his lunch (we had to wake him up, and it was after his normal lunch time, but he needs the rest), he wanted to play alittle, which we were happy to see him want to play! He's always giving kisses, no matter how bad he feels, he's very loving and loves people... So if there's anyone else out there that has any ideas or suggestions on what we could do to help out this precious little one, please feel free to tell me, we want to do everything we can to help him! He deserves that and so much more!!

You are amazing... Everything i could think of to give as advice you are already doing for this sweet baby.

Sending lots of strong prayers to you all. Please keep us posted

 

[Corine Pesantes]

I don't have any experience here, but you sure are in my prayers. Hoping that your baby pulls through this! You guys are amazing parents!!!


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[helsonwheels]

[MENTION=15852]Whoababy23[/MENTION] Not much left you can do but to wait and hang in there.

Have you tried a humidifier and put real essential oils? As some knows Nyala had a cold a month after I brought her home. She was on antibiotics. She was coughing, green guk kept coming out from her nose n eyes non stop. I put my diffuser above her kennel, not directly over her head but towards the kennel few drops of mint oil, eucalyptus oil. Some members tried it and noticed their dogs breathing better at night. Essential oils have been around for thousands of years. The real oils not cheap ones. I have it on 24/7 as it has a timer. It took 2 days and her green guk started to clear n breathing was like 70% better. Took about 4 days she was back to normal. But to this day I keep that diffuser on. Just a thought

 

[Whoababy23]

Yep I do that too! I have eucalyptus essential oil and I put that in there and it helps too! Thank you for that info as well! A few weeks back when we first got the Gentocin for the nebulizer, his first treatment he had green yuckies coming out of his nose.. I was so excited LOL I was like, yeah he's getting it out!! I know, I'm crazy getting excited about that, but when our babies are sick, we do get excited about the silliest little things! Last week or about a week and 1/2 ago when he was feeling better before going backwards this last week.. I got excited that he was being a puppy... took him for a short walk around the pool and the silly little wrinkle butt found a mud puddle in the grass and decided to play in it! I could't help but sit there and laugh because he was getting to be a puppy and if all it was, was mud and having to give him a bath, then I thought we were in good shape! You'll see attached pic of his lovely mud bath! Now praying that he can/will continue to improve and get to play in the mud again! He deserves to be able to be a puppy, that's all he's ever asked for in this life, that and be loved and cared for, and he has that, now it's his turn to be a puppy!

 

[helsonwheels]

Adorable mud face!! Keep doing the oils since you have proof it works!

 

[Frith]

We have been fighting pneomonia in frith since february 7th. she has a pencil not a drinking straw,and has ME. It is an emotional fight. Constant care and prayers. Look you bulldog in the eye everyday to see if they have given up yet...ask them. She hasnt given up, so neither have we.