Treatment solution for a common disease that affects geriatric dogs' ability to take in air.
| | | | | | When an Older Dog Struggles to Breathe | | | Treatment solution for a common disease that affects geriatric dogs' ability to take in air. | | | One of the most common diseases to strike a large dog who reaches the age of 10 or 12 makes it difficult to breathe. This is particularly during warm weather or physical activity but even at rest when the problem progresses far enough. The ailment is called laryngeal paralysis. The panting and struggling for breath can become almost constant, and many people mistakenly chalk it up to old age. However, feeling like you're drowning because you can't get enough oxygen is not a normal part of aging. An old dog such as a Lab or golden retriever or any other breed should be able to breathe comfortably. The good news: there's a surgical fix for the condition that gives a dog back his breathing ability. Diagnosing laryngeal paralysis As the term "laryngeal paralysis" suggests, it means the larynx — or voice box — becomes more and more paralyzed over time. It happens because the nerves in that organ stop working. That's a problem because the larynx doesn't just house a dog's vocal cords. As a long, cylinder-shaped organ made of cartilage that lies between the mouth and the windpipe (trachea), it opens widely when a dog inhales so that air can reach the lungs. If it becomes gradually paralyzed, it can't perform that function. | | | | | | | | | | |
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