b'Getting Older and Feeling Betterby Elizabeth F. Baird, DVM, CVPP, CCRT, cVMA Ellie, a lively chocolate Labrador, initially presented to her byadisorderthataffectsthenerves,leadingtodifficultyfamilyveterinarianwithrespiratorysymptoms.Duringthe breathingduetolaryngealimpairmentandrespiratoryearly summer of 2021, her panting became noticeably louder, difficulties.Astheconditionprogresses,thedogslaterharsher, and more frequent. As the warm and humid months experience rear limb weakness, leading to a decline in mobilityprogressed, the condition worsened and she was taken to her and function.veterinarianforevaluation.Thediagnosiswaslaryngeal DogswithLaryngealParalysisandGOLPPareatparalysis, a fairly common disorder.significant risk of aspiration, which can result in pneumoniaand severe respiratory symptoms. For many dogs though, theneurologic impairment in the limbs and difficulty in walkingwithGOLPPbecomesamoresignificantissuethanthelaryngealparalysis.Althoughtheconditioniscolloquiallyreferred to as long fiber disease, the current name, despitebeingunwieldy,moreaccuratelyreflectstherangeofsymptoms associated with the condition. Ellies breathing was loud, but she didnt seem to strugglewith aspiration and was breathing reasonably well. As a result,when she was evaluated by two surgery centers later in 2021,thesurgerytotiebackthelaryngealfolds,whichistheprimary treatment for laryngeal paralysis, was not performed.This surgery carries a risk of complications, and Ellie was for-tunately managing comfortably without it. However, duringthe evaluation, the surgeons noticed that she was exhibitingsigns of a decline in certain reflexes in her rear limbs, indicat-ingthatshelikelyhadGOLPP,ratherthanidiopathicLaryngealParalysis.GenetictestingruledoutDegenerativeMyelopathy,andherthyroidlevelswereasexpected,soGOLPP was the diagnosis by exclusion.During the late spring of 2022, Ellies rear limb controland support started to rapidly deteriorate. As a result, she wasput in a brace to prevent her right rear paw from constantlyknuckling over, and a body harness to help her family assisther in getting up and support her while walking. Her familyveterinarian sent her to us, at Steele Pain Management andRehabilitation Center, in June of the same year to evaluatehercondition.DespiteherlaboredbreathingandDr. Baird and Ellie during Electroacupuncture therapy. difficultywalking,sheremainedlivelyandenergetic,anunstoppable force.Laryngeal paralysis can take different forms. The idio- SinceGOLPPisaprogressivedisease,herlong-termpathic form occurs in isolation, while another form seen in prognosis for limb function was poor. However, her ownersgeriatric dogs, is part of a more complicated syndrome. The were determined to do everything they could to maintain herunderlying issue for both is a decline in the function of the mobility and quality of life. GOLPP is a disease that has onlynerve(s) that hold the laryngeal folds open during breathing. been recently recognized beyond Laryngeal Paralysis, and as aWhen they fail to remain open as they should, they create a result, there is not much treatment data available yet. narrower airway, leading to harsh respiratory noise and often, Since cortisone is known to cause muscle atrophy, andrespiratory distress. thereisnosupportingdataforitsuseinGOLPP,EllieCanineGeriatricOnsetLaryngealParalysis wasgraduallyweanedoffit,whichwassupportedbythePolyneuropathy (GOLPP) is a medical condition primarily neurologistweconsulted.Shedidwellwiththegradualaffecting large-breed dogs, with Labrador Retrievers being the withdrawal. Initially, her treatment included therapeutic lasermost commonly afflicted breed. The syndrome is characterized and acupuncture.58THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'