If it severe enough, the animal can pass out from lack of oxygen. In most cases a cause is never found. Medical treatments are only palliative and all are aimed at reducing swelling, or just calming down the dog. Rest, corticosteroids, antihistamines, sedatives may all have beneficial effects. If the condition continues to get worse, to the point where it becomes debilitating, surgery is the next step.
Individuals seem to respond differently to the surgery.
In some cases they do very well post-operatively. Unfortunately, some dogs are very prone to inhalation pneumonia afterwards, as any surgery in this area may affect the swallowing mechanism. In short, this can be a truly frustrating and disheartening condition. Our goal is always to keep the dogs as comfortable as possible, and in most cases surgery becomes the only way to achieve that, but even that can have serious complications. Here is some information that I have compiled regarding the surgical options.