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Expert: - 10/12/2011


Question
hi
i have a 4 year old Chihuahua and for the longest time she seems too be having trouble swallowing.  we did take her to the doctors for this a while ago and they checked her over and all they found was a bad tooth.  they took the tooth out, her breath got better but the sound she makes when swallowing is still there.  she did have an occasion when she had to be rushed to the hospital as she couldn't get up and was making a squealing sound just barely, she was choking on something but the vet. never figured out what it was. by the time we got her to the vet. what ever it was she had started breathing better again.  she has no problem eating or barking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its just when she is sitting with me ever time she swallows its almost as if she has a gulping sound,making it seem like she is having trouble swallowing.  i wasn't sure if this is something that Chihuahua have in common.  Could an allergy sound like that?
thank you so much
Helen goldstein

Answer
Well Helen,
I am not a vet, but a bad tooth wouldn't interfere with her swallowing. I am wondering a few things, mainly, how much does this dog weigh, what does she eat, was she given xrays of her esophagus at the time of the emergency, and has anyone mentioned a collapsing trachea to you?

This is a common condition with small dogs and overweight dogs or dogs that bark incessantly seem to get it more often. But thin dogs also get it.
It is heard first when the dog barks but grows increasingly worse with breathing. It is a small upper airway condition, sometimes it is called COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. That is just an umbrella under whic a collapsing trachea issue would fall.

She could also be developing a mega-esophagus but that is less common. It's when there is a pocket in the throat off to the side or it just gets enlarged. It makes it hard for the dog to swallow and food often gets stuck in it.

But in any regard, this is a problem that your vet needs to investigate hands-on. Allergies don't affect dogs the way they do us so that would be a rule-out. There are just so many things that can cause this that the vet really needs to do some investigation here. Xrays, preferably with some contrast medium, would be a good start.

I hope you find the answer soon and that she gets well soon.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

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I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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