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Background: The grade of tracheal collapse (TC) is assessed by the diameter of the narrowed lumen. However, studies on the relationship between TC grade and clinical symptom severity are lacking. Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics of small-breed dogs diagnosed with TC and determine if fluoroscopic grading correlates with cough severity. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records from 2022 to 2024. TC diagnosis was confirmed using fluoroscopic examination. Multiple linear regression was employed to investigate factors influencing cough severity, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 132 dogs with TC were identified, of which 22 were excluded. The final cohort consisted of 110 dogs, aged between 2-19 years, with no significant sex differences. The majority (97.2%) of dogs had a BCS of =4. Among the top four breeds (Maltese, Pomeranian, Poodle, and Chihuahua), the most severe collapse was observed in the carinal region. The grade of collapse on fluoroscopy was mostly related to high BCS (p < 0.007) and low body weight (p < 0.001). However, interestingly, fluoroscopic findings of collapse location and grade did not correlate with cough severity (p = 0.350). Notably, clinical symptoms improved in 86.6% of cases following interventions such as weight reduction, environmental changes, and pharmacotherapy. Conclusions and clinical relevance: In small-breed dogs, the severity of cough was not associated with the region or grade of TC diagnosed by fluoroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The grade of tracheal collapse (TC) is assessed by the diameter of the narrowed lumen. However, studies on the relationship between TC grade and clinical symptom severity are lacking., Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics of small-breed dogs diagnosed with TC and determine if fluoroscopic grading correlates with cough severity., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records from 2022 to 2024. TC diagnosis was confirmed using fluoroscopic examination. Multiple linear regression was employed to investigate factors influencing cough severity, with a significance level set at p  < 0.05., Results: A total of 132 dogs with TC were identified, of which 22 were excluded. The final cohort consisted of 110 dogs, aged between 2-19 years, with no significant sex differences. The majority (97.2%) of dogs had a BCS of ≥4. Among the top four breeds (Maltese, Pomeranian, Poodle, and Chihuahua), the most severe collapse was observed in the carinal region. The grade of collapse on fluoroscopy was mostly related to high BCS ( p  < 0.007) and low body weight ( p  < 0.001). However, interestingly, fluoroscopic findings of collapse location and grade did not correlate with cough severity ( p  = 0.350). Notably, clinical symptoms improved in 86.6% of cases following interventions such as weight reduction, environmental changes, and pharmacotherapy., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: In small-breed dogs, the severity of cough was not associated with the region or grade of TC diagnosed by fluoroscopy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Kim, Kim, Ryu, Youn, Choi and Seo.)

Canine tracheal collapse is a progressive disease in small breed dogs resulting from chronic inflammation of the tracheal mucosal lining. Polyunsaturated fatty acid EAB-277® is one of the nutraceuticals that can alleviate inflammation and oxidative stress. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a prognostic tool related to sympathovagal balance and oxidative stress level, which is widely used with cardiorespiratory diseases. However, the effect of EAB-277® on HRV in tracheal collapse dogs has rarely been investigated. In this study, 26 tracheal collapse dogs were divided into two groups. In the control group, the dogs received the standard treatment, whereas the dogs in the EAB-277® group received standard treatment combined with EAB-277®. After being treated for 5 weeks, changes in radiographic findings, blood profiles, serum malondialdehyde, inflammatory markers, and HRV were evaluated. This study found that clinical signs were improved in both groups (p < 0.05). However, serum malondialdehyde (MDA), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were decreased only in the EAB-277® group after treatment for five weeks (p < 0.05) and the mean percent change of MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α at week five compared to baseline in the EAB-277® group was greater than in the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, greater sympathovagal imbalance indicated by decreased standard deviation of all normal R-R intervals (SDNN) and standard deviation of the averaged R-R intervals for all 5-minutes segments (SDANN) was found in the control group at week five compared to baseline (P < 0.05), whereas EAB-277® improved SDNN and SDANN and decreased low frequency/high-frequency component (LF/HF ratio) after being treated for five weeks (P < 0.05). This study demonstrates that EAB-277® improves clinical signs and attenuates HRV impairment by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in tracheal collapse dogs.

Canine tracheal collapse is a progressive disease in small breed dogs resulting from chronic inflammation of the tracheal mucosal lining. Polyunsaturated fatty acid EAB-277 ® is one of the nutraceuticals that can alleviate inflammation and oxidative stress. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a prognostic tool related to sympathovagal balance and oxidative stress level, which is widely used with cardiorespiratory diseases. However, the effect of EAB-277 ® on HRV in tracheal collapse dogs has rarely been investigated. In this study, 26 tracheal collapse dogs were divided into two groups. In the control group, the dogs received the standard treatment, whereas the dogs in the EAB-277 ® group received standard treatment combined with EAB-277 ® . After being treated for 5 weeks, changes in radiographic findings, blood profiles, serum malondialdehyde, inflammatory markers, and HRV were evaluated. This study found that clinical signs were improved in both groups ( p < 0.05). However, serum malondialdehyde (MDA), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were decreased only in the EAB-277 ® group after treatment for five weeks ( p < 0.05) and the mean percent change of MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α at week five compared to baseline in the EAB-277 ® group was greater than in the control group ( p < 0.05). Additionally, greater sympathovagal imbalance indicated by decreased standard deviation of all normal R-R intervals (SDNN) and standard deviation of the averaged R-R intervals for all 5-minutes segments (SDANN) was found in the control group at week five compared to baseline ( P < 0.05), whereas EAB-277 ® improved SDNN and SDANN and decreased low frequency/high-frequency component (LF/HF ratio) after being treated for five weeks ( P < 0.05). This study demonstrates that EAB-277 ® improves clinical signs and attenuates HRV impairment by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in tracheal collapse dogs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Mektrirat, Rueangsri, Keeratichandacha, Soonsawat, Boonyapakorn and Pongkan.)