I have been having coughing fits since last night when we jogged. My humans thought the honking sound was caused by me accidentally strangling myself with my harness because I'm pulling too hard. But the honking sound went on until the following day and it got all of them worried.
And so mom and I took a trip to the vet. This is my third vet, The Animal House, and it's along Aurora Boulevard in Cubao. (It's She-ra's vet too!)
When we arrived, we were greeted by the vet assistants and were asked to wait in line. While waiting, I met a 3-month old baby fawn pug who got her shots. There were also a lot of animals in cages, and most of them were shitzus who just had their hair trimmed.
They weighed me in a big digital scale. I now weigh 14lbs. They also took my temperature and they stuck the thermometer in my butt :( I was really embarrassed. :-(
The vet asked us a few questions about my appetite and my cough. She told mom that they need to see my x-ray. Having my x-ray done was my most dreaded moment. :-( I was left inside the room with two men. I was screaming and shouting for help but my mom was outside and I was afraid of the dark :-( I really hated those men I almost bit them. But after the x-ray, my mom told me that they were our good friends and i that should not be afraid.
The x-ray showed that I have a narrowing trachea (windpipe) or Tracheal Collapse due to softening of the cartilage rings. You may check out this site for more info on the disease. According to the petplace website, these may be the cause of Tracheal Collapse:
Other possible presenting signs are intolerance to exercise, labored breathing and cyanosis (bluish tinge to the gums). Excitement, eating, drinking, irritants like smoke or dust, obesity, excitement and hot or humid weather may provoke a coughing spasm.
The cause of the collapse is unknown, but there are probably several factors at play. Abnormal synthesis of the components that make up the cartilage found in the trachea is believed to be the cause of tracheal weakness. The weakened trachea flattens from top to bottom, obstructing the flow of air in and out of the lungs.
There are other possible causes of tracheal collapse, such as congenital defects, chronic airway disease, trauma and tumors that compress the trachea from the outside. There are other conditions that can cause coughing, and this can exacerbate the collapse of the trachea.
The cause of the collapse is unknown, but there are probably several factors at play. Abnormal synthesis of the components that make up the cartilage found in the trachea is believed to be the cause of tracheal weakness. The weakened trachea flattens from top to bottom, obstructing the flow of air in and out of the lungs.
There are other possible causes of tracheal collapse, such as congenital defects, chronic airway disease, trauma and tumors that compress the trachea from the outside. There are other conditions that can cause coughing, and this can exacerbate the collapse of the trachea.
Good thing they already had me checked, before it gets worse. The vet told us that I can easily recover if I follow the medications.
The vet gave me a medicine called Doxycycline and I am going to take it twice daily for 30 days.
I thought that I would no longer fret and it's over after the x-ray but the vet said that they have to get some of my blood (CBC) to check for possible infections. It was not as traumatic as the x-ray experience because mom was on my side. The results showed that I was free from infections but I had low platelet count. The vet said that I am anemic so they gave me more meds. All in all I have 4 different meds which I will take starting tomorrow. It also includes meds for hyper acidity and iron.
I hope to be better soon. :-) Thank you for taking time to read my vet visit story.
XOXO,
Akilla
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