My almost 16 year old golden retriever is, I believe, starting to suffer from Laryngeal Paralysis.
Does anyone know of any surgeons that do the laser surgery for LarPar, other than Dr. Sadanaga in PA and the surgeon (sorry, don't have the name) in South Carolina?
Also, does anyone have any experience with this alternative?
For general information, here is a description of the procedure:
Dr. Sadanaga's procedure is an alternative to the tie-back. It is not just
the old-style "debarking procedure" but consists of two procedures done at
the same time: laser removal of the vocal cords to enlarge the airway
lumen (space), and fixation of the arytenoid cartilages to the thyroid
cartilages which have separate innervation. The result is that the dog
loses its "normal" voice, but the laryngeal architecture is otherwise
largely maintained and the larynx can still close when swallowing because
the arytenoid cartilages are now fixed to the thyroid cartilages and can
move with them. So the huge advantage is that the dog can still swim, and
the increased risk of aspiration pneumonia over that of a normal (non-LP)
dog is essentially zero. The resulting airway enlargement is not quite as
large as can be achieved with the tie-back, but it is more than sufficient
to allow the dog to breathe and cool off."
Does anyone know of any surgeons that do the laser surgery for LarPar, other than Dr. Sadanaga in PA and the surgeon (sorry, don't have the name) in South Carolina?
Also, does anyone have any experience with this alternative?
For general information, here is a description of the procedure:
Dr. Sadanaga's procedure is an alternative to the tie-back. It is not just
the old-style "debarking procedure" but consists of two procedures done at
the same time: laser removal of the vocal cords to enlarge the airway
lumen (space), and fixation of the arytenoid cartilages to the thyroid
cartilages which have separate innervation. The result is that the dog
loses its "normal" voice, but the laryngeal architecture is otherwise
largely maintained and the larynx can still close when swallowing because
the arytenoid cartilages are now fixed to the thyroid cartilages and can
move with them. So the huge advantage is that the dog can still swim, and
the increased risk of aspiration pneumonia over that of a normal (non-LP)
dog is essentially zero. The resulting airway enlargement is not quite as
large as can be achieved with the tie-back, but it is more than sufficient
to allow the dog to breathe and cool off."