Poppy has LP
Poppy, my almost 13 year old Labrador has just been diagnosed with LP- a condition that affect the larynx. You can read about it below. I have decided not to put her through the surgery as it is so invasive and the complications are not easy to deal with. She is fine- just clearly aging. We are keeping her more comfortable with Albuterol- an asthma medication that seems to help her breath more easily.
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LARYNGEAL PARALYSIS
Daniel Reimer, DVM
Laryngeal Paralysis is a condition seen commonly in older Afghans, setters, springer spaniels, greyhounds, and Labrador retrievers. It can happen to any breed dog, but is especially common in the large breeds. It can be a terrible condition to watch any dog suffer through. They are very uncomfortable during an episode, and in severe cases can develop cyanosis (a blue color to the gums) from lack of oxygen. They can collapse and even die from this condition.
Clinical signs can really vary based on the severity of each dog’s problem. They may just have a voice change in the very early stages, which may progress over time to excessive panting, especially during any exercise or excitement, or even just coughing. These are common signs with other throat infections and some relatively minor problems. This can progress well beyond this to stridor (a harsh, high pitched roaring sound heard mainly on inspiration). When this sign starts to develop, most people realize something real is happening. Their dogs may go further to develop exercise intolerance, collapse, and cyanosis.
The condition is caused by some condition affecting the recurrent laryngeal nerves leading to a loss of their function. These nerves innervate the larynx allowing it to open up (abduct) when a dog is taking a breath. When the condition occurs, a dog’s airway is narrower than it should be, which is especially hard on an animal when it needs more air (like during exercise or excitement). The body needs more air, but it can’t get it, so an animal pants and breathes even harder. The larynx may have a great deal of swelling associated with this, which even further narrows the airway. If it severe enough, the animal can pass out from lack of oxygen. We are not sure exactly what causes the nerves to loose function, but some of the causes include hypothyroidism, brain lesions (including tumors, inflammation etc.), and polyneuropathies. In most cases a cause is never found.
Medical treatments are only palliative and all are aimed at reducing swelling, or just calming down the dog. Rest, corticosteroids, antihistamines, sedatives may all have beneficial effects. If the condition continues to get worse, to the point where it becomes debilitating, surgery is the next step. The goal of surgery is simple: open the airway. There are various different types of procedures done to “tie back” the arytenoid cartilage or open the airway. Individuals seem to respond differently to the surgery. In some cases they do very well post-operatively. Unfortunately, some dogs are very prone to inhalation pneumonia afterwards, as any surgery in this area may affect the swallowing mechanism.
In short, this can be a truly frustrating and disheartening condition. Our goal is always to keep the dogs as comfortable as possible, and in most cases surgery becomes the only way to achieve that, but even that can have serious complications.