Some (hard-earned) advice for city dogs

[Neecy]

My 16 year old Lhasa Apso was recently diagnosed with a collapsed trachea. It's a progressive condition that his vet said was likely caused by years of walking him with a collar instead of a harness.

It's a horrible thing for a dog to go through - difficulty breathing, and a frightening non-productive choking. He's too old for surgery but at least it can be treated somewhat with medication. Still, it's a painful condition and I'm kicking myself for contributing to it by walking him with a collar (he's very active, and he frequently would pull on his leash). It appears to be not an uncommon condition for smaller breeds, so if you're still using a collar for your small dog, save him/her a lot of pain down the road and switch over to a harness.

He's feeling a little better today, and even made a half-hearted effort to chase the cat. While unappreciated (as always) by the cat, it's a good sign. He's been wiped out for days on the medication.

[ernstbass]

1. Oh that's terrible

For dogs that pull against a collar, I highly recommend the "Sporn" no pull harness. It's cushioned under the legs for greater comfort. I'm so sorry about your dog - I hope he progresses. don't be too hard on yourself - you had no idea. Thanks for warning the rest of us.

[wildeyed]

2. Thanks for the heads up, Neecy.

I don't walk my small dog as much as I should. But when I do he gets so excited and tends to pull. I have a harness somewhere. I will dig it up and use that in the future.

[Branjor]

3. The poor little guy....

I hope he gets to feeling better soon. Thanks for the heads up. I have walked my 10 year old Lhasa with a harness since she was a puppy, but before that I used a collar on her. My vet never told me to use a harness on her. I only changed to the harness because she was slipping her collar. I think vets should inform all small dog guardians to use harnesses, not collars.

[Neecy]

4. thanks...

I wish his vets in San Francisco had said something about his collar - you'd think they'd see this quite a bit with the number of small dogs in the city and considering how common this is with Lhasa Apsos. At least since I've moved out of the city he now has a yard to play in and doesn't have to be on a leash.

He's always been so active, even at 16, that it's tough seeing how much this is going to slow him down. He can still bark at the trash man, though, so all isn't lost :)