# Laryngeal Paralysis -- anyone familiar?



## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

When my lab was having coughing issues this was one diagnosis my vets seriously considered, his turned out to be chronic bronchitis, but I did a lot of research on LP.
My understanding is that the surgery should not be your first approach as it has some pretty severe potential complications, like aspirating food.
management included trying to keep activity down and most importantly not having anything around the neck like collars-only use harnesses for walking.
It seems like it is most common in labs, so some lab forums might be a good source of info.


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## ZeppGold (Aug 9, 2009)

Thank you, I hadn't heard about the collar / harness thing. I will look into that. Especially since Sasha is part Husky and loves to pull. The vet did say it was common in labs. I will try looking at lab forums. The surgery scares me, but I also worry about hare getting older and then needing surgery. It is a gamble.


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## 02pinetree (Nov 17, 2014)

Our golden exhibited hind end weakness and muscle wasting for at least 7 years. No one was able to make a diagnosis. It was only after he was really nervous at the University of Minnesota and had stridor that LP was finally diagnosed. In Murphy's case it didn't affect his breathing quite as much as his ability to get around. Although he did have what we thought was old dog bark. Towards the end of his life it did start to affect inhalation of food while eating. Because LP is thought to be a degenerative nerve disease he benefited from gabapentin. I found the most helpful information on the Michigan State University website. Also, yahoo groups has a great support group for LP dog owners. Aspiration pneumonia following tie back surgery is a very real concern. Hopefully some of the members and stories people have shared on those sites can help you make your decision.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

there is a surgery (tie back) that can help but the surgery itself is not without risks -- my Rowdy died a horrible, horrible death following this surgery from aspiration pneumonia with expert surgeons and 24/7 intensive care -- he never came home following the surgery.

Air conditioning, watching exertion and other care can help your dog before surgery - if your dog 'turns blue' it will become a medical emergency, however, so you might need to weigh the risks/benefits of the surgery. 

Even if you choose surgery, swimming will be discouraged, raised food & water bowls should be used and collars should be replaced with harnesses. Aspiration pneumonia will be an ever present risk so care needs to be taken.


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## sanman4ever (Jul 9, 2010)

ZeppGold said:


> Our almost 12 year old Golden / Husky mix has just been diagnosed with Laryngeal Paralysis. She has been breathing very heavy for awhile. Snoring really loud. We recently noticed that her bark has changed. It is a very hoarse bark and she has trouble with her breath when exerted. I just took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis. We are at the point where we are just watching her to see what to do next. There is a surgery, but it may never get bad enough to need the surgery. Our worry is that she will be 12 years old next month and the older she gets the more complications from surgery. Is anyone familiar with this? It is all new to us. We have never heard of this before. She has always been very healthy.


Any update?


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

I have had two dogs that have experienced LP, mother and son actually. 
With the mom we just watched her to make sure it was not progressing to a "dangerous" level. It never seemed to do so. It was diagnosed when she was around 11 and she lived to 13 1/2.
Her son did not live with me till he was a little over 13 due to the death of his owner. His first day with us I knew he had LP along with a number of other issues. Spoke to the vet and did more on line research about the different tie back surgeries. Discovered that it has numerous onset causes. One being neurological. Some of his other issues also pointed to something neurological going on (Dragging his paws when walking was one). He also had arthritic issues that we treated with Rimadyl to keep him comfortable. within in a week his LP was hardly detectable and he rarely if ever shows any signs, slight cough now and then. He had no noticeable issues even during the heat and humidity last summer. We believe that the discomfort was stressing him even more exacerbating the LP symptoms. At almost 14 1/2 it is still hard to detect.


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## ZeppGold (Aug 9, 2009)

Well, actually we took Sasha to a specialist in January to see about the laryngeal paralysis and it ended up to not be that. Sasha has a large thyroid tumor. We just completed a month of radiation for the tumor and are waiting to see how that went. 

There is another thread for that, but I don't know how to insert the link to that thread in here.


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## LeslieP (May 6, 2018)

My 11 1/2 year old male golden was just diagnosed with LP. For several years he had a progressive limp in his right elbow, and after many vets, he was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia with floating bone chips. So last summer he had those chips removed, and along with a few PRP injections he is doing better. He still has a limp, worse when tired, and favors his other front leg which has developed arthritis. Just in the last 2 months his breathing has become more and more labored with even an easy walk. After scoping, they said one side of his larynx is paralysed. My dilemma is this: The tie-back surgery has its risks but it also means Koda can never swim again. With his other mobility issues, swimming is not only his best exercise but also his only real pleasure (besides eating of course). It all seems like a "sophie's choice", and although he'd be able to breath easier, the vet (who is very skilled) told me aspiration pneumonia is not an "if" but a "when" with tie-backs. Any thoughts out there? And I am wondering if anyone has not done the surgery and had some success with other alternative treatments such as acupuncture (Koda has a good acupuncture vet), homeopathy, benedryl, etc.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

I can be of no help with the issue at hand, but I just want to say I am sorry you precious boy. Our 10 1/2 year old Great Pyrenees was diagnosed with liver disease a little over a year ago and was put on hepatic dog food (Royal Canin) and some very expensive pills. He did not like the food and would not eat it. I dropped from 112 to 78 pounds. As for the pills, I would think he had swallowed them only to find them in another room later on. He showed no inteste in things he use to enjoy. I decided quality o9f life was more important than quantity. I researched and started cooking for him, making his treats, and forgot the pills. Soon he was in the itchen watching me cook, going to his pan when he thought it was about time to eat, barking with the neighborhood dogs again. The first week in Nov. he was 78 pounds and the first ween in Feb he was 90 pounds. He loves living again and we know we made the right decision to put his happiness ahead of having him in misery for a little longer. So, I gather from you post that you are considering 


you can get all the pros and cons from your vet and then make a decision. Good luck to you and your sweet boy.


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## LeslieP (May 6, 2018)

Just wondering if anyone has heard of this procedure I saw in an online 2010 post as an alternative to tie-back surgery. 

_"Dr. Sadanaga's procedure is an alternative to the tie-back. It is not just
the old-style "debarking procedure" but consists of two procedures done at
the same time: laser removal of the vocal cords to enlarge the airway
lumen (space), and fixation of the arytenoid cartilages to the thyroid
cartilages which have separate innervation. The result is that the dog
loses its "normal" voice, but the laryngeal architecture is otherwise
largely maintained and the larynx can still close when swallowing because
the arytenoid cartilages are now fixed to the thyroid cartilages and can
move with them. So the huge advantage is that the dog can still swim, and
the increased risk of aspiration pneumonia over that of a normal (non-LP)
dog is essentially zero. The resulting airway enlargement is not quite as
large as can be achieved with the tie-back, but it is more than sufficient
to allow the dog to breathe and cool off."_


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I had a client with a killer chihuahua diagnosed with LP. This poor dog had been lunging at the end of the leash for years. I bought her a harness but it didn't help much and as he got older he began to have more severe coughing so recommend she find a different vet and get a 2nd opinion.
Poor boy had heart problems! They began medications but after 5 yrs with the wrong diagnosis it wasn't long before he was overwhelmed. It broke our hearts to loose him, he was a really fun dog.
Moral of the story is it never hurts to get a 2nd opinion!


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