Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Trouble breathing in two dogs fixed by epiglottis surgery
By Flanders, James A & Thompson, Margret S·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2009·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dyspnea caused by epiglottic retroversion in two dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old male Boxer and a 10-year-old female Yorkshire Terrier were both struggling to breathe due to a condition called epiglottic retroversion, where the epiglottis moves excessively and can block the airway. Despite having surgery to remove part of their soft palate, their breathing problems continued. A closer examination revealed that the epiglottis was displacing during breathing, causing obstruction. The solution was to fix the epiglottis in place by removing a small piece of tissue at its base and stitching it up. After this procedure, both dogs were able to breathe normally again.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · Boxer dyspnea treatment · Yorkshire Terrier airway obstruction
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: An 8-year-old castrated male Boxer and a 10-year-old spayed female Yorkshire Terrier were evaluated because of dyspnea. In both dogs, the dyspnea persisted after elongated soft palate resection. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Laryngoscopic examination revealed caudal displacement of the epiglottis into the rima glottidis in both dogs. Excessive mobility of the epiglottis during respiration with episodic obstruction of the rima glottidis by the epiglottis was observed during fluoroscopic examination. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The epiglottis of both dogs was fixed in a horizontal plane by resection of a band of oral mucosa at the base of the epiglottis and closure of the mucosal defect with sutures. Fixation of the epiglottis resolved the dyspnea in both dogs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Excessive mobility of the epiglottis can predispose to glottic obstruction and cause dyspnea in dogs. Fixation of the epiglottis in a horizontal plane may resolve dyspnea caused by epiglottic retroversion in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19951104/