Occasionally, laryngeal paralysis is only one sign of a systemic neurological disorder, but most of the time it is a problem that occurs by itself. Clinical signs of laryngeal paralysis are related to failure of normal movement of the vocal folds. Since the vocal folds cannot be pulled apart from each other when breathing, the opening of the airway is smaller than usual. This means that the dog is not able to get as much air into his or her lungs as is needed. Common clinical signs include progressively noisier breathing, intolerance to exercise, and sometimes a voice change.
Laryngeal paralysis can be an emergency situation if the dog is unable to breathe.
Definitive treatment for laryngeal paralysis involves surgery. A dog in this situation is typically sedated to decrease anxiety, and an endotracheal tube might be placed so that oxygen can be administered. Often, sedation is sufficient to calm the dog down enough to allow improved breathing. There are several types of surgery available for laryngeal paralysis. All of them are designed to increase the size of the opening of the airway to allow easier passage of air.