The trachea is the windpipe, the tube from your mouth to your lungs that you breathe through. When you inhale, a slight vacuum is created in the lungs and windpipe. Every time the dog inhales, the slight vacuum tends to collapse the trachea even more. It is like trying to drink a milkshake through one of those old paper soda straws that had gotten wet. The straw would just collapse and you'd have to eat the milkshake with a spoon.
Puppies born with hypoplastic tracheas often get worse and eventually have to be euthanized.
Dr. Elizabeth Davies from Colton Washington suspected the problem when she examined the two littermates of Lightning's. She referred them to Washington State where the diagnosis was confirmed. One of those puppies had to be euthanized. Ten years ago Dorothy was taking care of a couple of Boston Terrier puppies for a breeder, who was on tour showing dogs. She took them to Riverview Animal Clinic for puppy shots.