What to do about my dog, aged 14, with collapsing trachea?  She coughs
more and more, otherwise healthy, appetite good, weight consistent,
but coughing spells last for up to 15 min. many times a day, sometimes
at night.  The big question, is it time to put her down?  I have to
leave her once in a while to go on trips and worry about those times. 
Anything else to do?  (I don't smoke).

Hi beebee35,

We lived with an old dog and made this decision: as long as she
derived some pleasure from life, we would go out of our way to keep
her on this earth. Her great pleasure was eating and she never lost
that - she ate about 2 hours before she died (in our arms at home - we
were so thankful that she died with a full happy stomach).
Anyway, I know that doesn't help you much with the coughing, but I
just thought I'd share my little story about our Lassie.

Best wishes,
hummer

Hi, back,
Just being old isn't the problem here.  The cough ties my stomach up
in knots because she sounds like she's having a bad time--maybe it
bothers me more than her.  I don't know what the progression of this
will be since it's incurable and don't want her to be suffering at the
end one day when I'm not here, don't know if she'll have a heart
attack or what to expect.  Will she increasingly have a problem
breathing?  It's got to be hard on the heart and lungs.  The pills the
vet gave me don't work anymore....