Partial laryngeal paralysis in pups - Page 1

Has anyone had any issues with a young German Shepherd pup having partial laryngeal paralysis?  We brought in a new West German male with a great pedigree.  Two of four litters he has sired has had some pups with what has been diagnosed by our vet as partial laryngeal paralysis.  The pup makes a "popping" noise in it's throat when whining or excited. They do better with softened and will sometimes spit up food if they play very much after eating. X-rays have been taken. It is not mega esophagus.  We don't know if it is because of the male or not.  The previous owner said they had 4 litters sired by this male with no issues.  Thanks for any help.

Sorry, no;  have only come across PLP as a problem of much older
Shepherds / dogs generally.   Would have sworn what you've described
as symptomatic of Mega-E;  but you say your vet has ruled that out.

Very best of luck in getting this sorted out, I hope you can raise these
pups successfully.   As to the genetics, difficult to know whether to put
'blame' on sire OR dam, without knowing who they are.
 

Might not be the fault of either parent, there are some infections that cause neurological damage which can include PLP.

Margaret N-J

I'm with Margaret. The fact that 2 litters had it may not be so much genetic as environmental. I have no experience w/PLP so please don't think I'm saying it can't be genetic- I'm just supplying a plausible reason why the previous 4 litters by this male may not have been affected, if you're "blaming" the male. 

This sounds more likely to be PRAA (Persistent Right Aortic Arch) ... it is treatable with surgery while the pup is still young.. but if not treated does not have a good long term prognosis.  I would just check and make sure your vet is familiar with PRAA... it can be diagnosed with a simple barium study (they swallow white flavored liquid and xrays are taken immediately).  Here is some more info on PRAA... http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/gi_praa.htm

yes! i had a pup working line czech only sable out of a litter of 5 males. it was hard to diagnose because its no expected in pups usually older large breed dogs. signs and symptoms i noticed at 8 wks a slight wheezing while eating. later the pup appeared to be having a asthma attack, the larynx is actually closing on inhalation instead of opening. I had to put my fellow down very promising pup. One surgery they are doing now on older dogs is a laryngeal flap/tie back one side of the larynx. Not so good for a young pup or dog they will always suffer with bouts of aspiration pneumonia. Difficult decision but i refused to let Eno suffer that way.