Henry has gotten up in the years and is starting to have serious health problems. He looks pretty good for a Senior Pug and sometimes I can’t believe he is as old as he is.

About a month or two ago, He began a pattern of recurring health problems that continue to escalate. First, he scratched his cornea, a very common injury in the bulgy eyed set. Then, he began coughing and gagging on a daily basis.

He always struggles with a skin allergy that makes him itchy, but we have managed that with Vitamin B shots, which act as an anti-inflammatory and keep him comfortable.

Recently, Henry had some kind of seizure that caused him to end up on his back struggling to breathe. I quickly uprighted him and found that there was food coming out of his nose. He was trembling and gasping for breath, so we rushed him to the vet where he was put into an oxygen chamber and kept there all day to stabilize his breathing.

Turns out he had regurgitated into his lungs, resulting in what is called “aspiration pneumonia”. That means that anything that is in the lungs can cause an infection and is very dangerous. He has been on antibiotics (as well as probiotics) for weeks.

Meanwhile the coughing and gagging has increased. It is a sound like none other I have ever heard. Calling it a “cough” really does not describe it because it is more of a roar or a honk.

Our vet thought that Henry may have Laryngeal Paralysis or LP. After three sets of x-rays, on the chest lungs and trachea, she has determined that Henry’s trachea is collapsing, a condition common in older, small breeds such Pugs, Pekes, etc.

As the windpipe ages, the rings of cartilage become hardened, weakened and sometimes flatten out, narrowing the space for air to pass. The cough resulting from this situation is more of a honk coming from the compromised structure of the larynx than a cough coming out of the chest or lungs.

The cough itself can irritate the windpipe further and is hard on the heart. I have been researching alternative treatment for CT online and may have found a solution with TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). There are actually Chinese herbs and cough syrups that can moisturize and tonify the throat. I will be consulting with the Vet about trying these and will keep you posted.