CANINE TRACHEAL COLLAPSE: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY IN TUNISIAN DOGS.

Tracheal collapse is a common cause of cough and is caused by weakening of artilage support for the large airways The purpose of this study is to measure the prevalence rate of tracheal collapse in dogs, investigate risk indicators, and finally evaluate and type radiographs as they are the main means of confirming tracheal collapse. This study reports the results of a descriptive study of 21 cases of tracheal collapse diagnosed in 5701 dogs treated for 7 years at the clinic of the National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet (Tunisia) in the Department of Equine and Carnivore Internal Medicine. The results show that the prevalence of tracheal collapse in dogs is quite low: 0.36%, CI 95%. The results of this study highlight the importance of signaling in the evaluation of dogs with tracheal collapse. Two risk indicators for the condition were identified in this study. Geriatric dogs (> 6 years) (p < 0.001) were more commonly affected compared to younger dogs (< 6 years) (OR =44). It also appears that poodle dogs account for 62% of affected dogs, small breed dogs are most commonly affected by tracheal collapse (85%). (p < 0.001). This is the first known study describing tracheal collapse in dogs in Tunisia. The retrospective design of this study further limits the results of this investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]