TRACHEAL COLLAPSE IN DOGS: SURVEY OF THE PROFILE OF ANIMALS TREATED IN THE RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF HCV/UFRGS FROM 2017 TO 2022

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• Palavras-chave: dog; radiography; trachea

• Keywords: dog; radiography; trachea

• Abstract:

  The trachea is a circular organ of the respiratory system formed by rigid C-shaped cartilage rings. Tracheal collapse is a progressive multifactorial disease that mainly affects middle-aged toy and miniature dogs. It is characterized by the degeneration of the cartilaginous rings of the trachea due to a decrease in glycosaminoglycan and chondroitin sulphate, causing the trachea to collapse in a dorsoventral direction. The clinical signs of the disease depend on the severity of the tracheal collapse and can range from a dry cough similar to "goose squawking" to respiratory stress and dyspnea. Radiography is widely used for diagnosis, identifying the location and severity of the lesion, which can occur in both the cervical and thoracic regions. Dogs with tracheal collapse can improve clinically with changes in management, drug treatment or surgery. We selected dogs with tracheal collapse treated at the Hospital de Clínicas Veterinárias of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul between 2017 and 2022 to analyze the frequency of diagnoses before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The radiographic reports showed the breed, age, sex and region of tracheal collapse of the affected dogs, and 54 animals were diagnosed during this period. All regions of the trachea were affected, with a higher incidence in the cervicothoracic transition. The most prevalent breeds were non-defined breeds (SRD), Yorkshire terriers and poodles. No gender predilection was identified and the ages found ranged from one to 17 years, with a higher prevalence between eight and 14 years. It was also possible to observe that between the years 2018 and 2020 there was a drop in diagnoses, possibly caused by the pandemic.