Tracheal collapse - or, skip the collar and use a harness.

The trachea, or wind pipe, of a dog, is a semi-rigid structure help open by c-shaped rings of cartilage, connected with a soft membrane, making a circle. Normally, the trachea is circular. Good breathing, facilitated by a healthy trachea (among other things, of course) is important not just for oxygen in the case of a dog, but also for keeping cool - they don't sweat, aside from their nose and the pads of their feet, so cool air in and hot air out as they breathe helps them regulate their temperature. It also helps evaporation off the surface of their tongue, another essential cooling mechanism.

Amongst dogs, but especially toy breed dogs, you get a condition known as tracheal collapse. This includes pugs, who are quite vulnerable to this condition                                   . This is where the cartilage of the trachea has weakened enough that it does not remain circular, but in stead closes in on itself. In milder cases, it presents as a honking, dry cough, gagging and difficulty breathing. In more severe cases, a collapsed trachea can lead to severe respiratory distress and death (or a trip to the ER vet, and a night in an oxygen cage). Milder cases may have a relatively minor effect on quality of life - playing might have to be limited, and in extreme temperatures, your dog will have to stay in the cool, calm house. Severe cases can leave a dog pretty much perpetually crate bound. The condition is progressive, but progression can be managed.

We're not exactly sure what causes tracheal collapse, but heart issues, obesity, intubation, allergies, poor dental hygiene, the presence of a smoker in the household and respiratory infections are all associated with the condition.

There is little by way of treatment for tracheal collapse. Anti-inflammatory medications often help limit the swelling that accompanies tracheal collapse, which makes it all so much worse. Steroids can help for much the same reason. Limiting their exercise, and crucially, keeping them on the thin side of normal also helps.  Having a home oxygen tank can really save you in a crucial moment. Elevating their food/water bowls so they need not lower their heads, providing a cushion  for them to sleep on so they can keep their heads up at night and never leaving them alone (so that you don't miss a dangerous collapse episode) all helps to keep them going.

Surgically, a trachea can be tied back to keep it circular. Plastic rings are placed around the trachea, and the trachea is sutured to the rings. This treatment is often a lifesaver, but afterwards, the dogs are not like normal dogs (it's not a cure). Added to this, that when things do go wrong, they go very, very wrong.

There's also a procedure where a stent is placed along the trachea, a technique that seems to have positive outcomes too. The stents have a tendency to fail over time, and then need replacing.

Sometimes, a tracheotomy is done to 'bypass' the tracheal collapse by making a breathing hole in their throat. This requires that the dog be hand fed, to prevent food getting into their airways. The hole needs to be cleaned, since the cold air directly into the lungs leads to some mucus formation. The hole sometimes heals up too small, requiring a repeat surgery. This surgery is not always successful, is rarely recommended, and only sometimes gives satisfactory results.

Now, let me be clear, as far as I know, there has been no systematic, long term research showing that a collar causes tracheal collapse. It is common advice to recommend a collar be replaced with a harness once tracheal collapse has been diagnosed, and it is common advice to encourage small breed dog owners to use a harness, not a collar. There has also been some cases where use of a choke chain (oh, pardon me, euphemistically a 'slip collar' or a 'training collar') has lead to tracheal collapse - though many people would justifiably argue that this is misuse of a choke chain.

But, bare with me here. Let's look at those symptoms again:

• honking cough
• gagging
• choking
• difficulty breathing

People with dogs who really, really pull - tell me, do these sound familiar at all? I'd bet they do! I've seen many dogs pulling along, honking like a goose, gagging, choking... now tell me, is their trachea under some distress or not?

And tell me, how does cartilage heal? (the answer is very slowly, and often imperfectly unless carefully managed) Do you think repeated pressure on a trachea could lead to damage?

And the last question - given that we have harnesses that put no, or much, much less pressure on the trachea than collars, is it worth the risk?

If you have a small dog, or a heavy puller, just don't take the risk. At least, that's what I think. You get superb tools to teach a dog not to pull without jerking their throats or their necks. You get easy to use training methods that do the same.

Here is a good article on tracheal collapse from the Journal of Veterinary Clinics of North America, volume 30, issue 6, November 2000:
http://www.2ndchance.info/dxme-BreathsPerMin-Johnson2000.pdf

As a final word, if you have a source for me that investigates collar use and tracheal collapse, I would greatly appreciate the reference.