My dachshund, Miss Meister

Question
I would greatly appreciate your advice.  I have taken my female miniature dachshund to the vet 3-4 times regarding this situation and I'm not satisfied that she's been properly diagnosed.  We have another appointment tomorrow at 4 where I'll insist that further investigation be done.  Here it is:  Our vet says that she has the "reverse sneeze/collapsing trachea" condition.  They did give us some antihistamine to try to prevent allergies from irritating the condition and things have not improved... on the contrary... she has 3-4 per day and they're worsening.  She struggles for breath, it seems, and makes wheezing noises when she tries to recover.  Last night, she had one at 11PM and it took almost 20 minutes for her to recover.  It tears me apart.  I am very concerned that it might be something else.. her heart?  Lungs?  Any ideas other than the present diagnosis?  Thanks so much!  

Answer
Hi Sherry!  How old is your dog?
If she is over the age of 6 years, I would definately be thinking this to be congestive heart disease. This disease can develop in younger dogs too, just not as commonly. What happens is, the pulminary sacs around the heart begin to fill with fluid.  This puts a lot of pressure on the lungs which causes bouts of open mouth breathing, labored breathing, difficulty breathing and even coughing.  The fluid also puts a lot of pressure on the heart, causing stress and irregular heartbeat.  X-rays would help comfirm whether or not this is the problem that is ailing your baby.  The x-rays would show an enlarged heart or some fluid in that area.  If this is, in fact, diagnosed, your veterinarian will prescribe Lasix.  Lasix is an oral medication that is given for the rest of the pet's life, which dries up all that fluid in the pulminary sacs, relieving all of the pressure on the lungs and heart, which makes a much happier and comfortable pet!
If this is a younger dog, there is a big possibility that this is a collapsing trachea, where in that case, surgical intervention would be needed to repair it.  A lot of smaller dogs develop collapsing tracheas.  It's from them pulling when on the leash, causing pressure on their tracheas.  Try switching to a harness, as this will relieve the constant pressure of the collar.
This also may be a condition called Stenotic Nares.  This is when the animal's nasal passage is slightly more narrow than normal.  When excitement, fear, and other strong feelings are felt, these nasal passages become even more narrow, causing the dog to panic, which makes them not understand that they can breathe through their mouth.   Next time she has one of these bouts, it sounds funny, but my dog has this, and this works like a charm....put your thumb over her nostrils, open her mouth, and gently blow down her throat.  This will force her to breath through her mouth, which will end the struggling.  If this does stop her struggling, it probably is due to stenotic nares.  Surgical intervention is often needed to correct this problem.  This is where your veterinarian will literally enlarge the nasal passages.
I hope this information helps.  If I think of anything else that could be causing this, I will definitely get back to you.
Please keep me posted and let me know how she does!
I'll be thinking of that little doxie gal!
Hilary