Collapsing trachea

Emzee, we just had the diagnosis of collapsed trachea for Rosie (10 yr chi mix) today, along with an enlarged heart and liver. She had multiple x-rays and blood work which is not back yet. This came as a shock as we've had Rosie since she was 9 weeks old and the symptoms are new. She'll pant when we take her walking and have coughing fits when playing with Darcy. The vet gave us an Rx steroid for a few days to reduce swelling in the trachea and put Rosie on Enalapril for the grade 4 heart murmur. Like your vet, he said surgery isn't recommended for an older dog. Rosie also has some fluid in her abdomen that is somehow related to the heart and liver issues. The vet said all this is common in small dogs. We had Poquita 15.5 yrs so are really sad that we likely won't have Rosie that long. Got to dig out Poquita's stroller and use it for Rosie when we go for walks at the park. Darcy (min pin) still seems in good shape at age 6.