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Stents And Rings: What Published Studies Report

When a stent or rings come up, one of the first questions is which does better. None of the sources we read compare them on the same dogs. What exists is a set of reports on different dogs, at different hospitals, in different years. Here is what each source says, and why the numbers do not compare cleanly. For the basics of each procedure, see Stents Or Rings.

What The Surgeons' College Reports

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons says about 75 percent of dogs improve after surgical placement of rings. Of dogs that receive stents, it says 95 percent are immediately improved and 90 percent are markedly improved at follow-up, and that similar results are reported with rings placed in the neck portion of the trachea. It says control of coughing matters for a good outcome. It also says dogs older than 6 years, or with laryngeal or bronchial disease, have more complications and a poorer long-term outcome.

The college does not say how many dogs those percentages come from, so use them as an overview, not a forecast for your dog.

Where Each One Is Used

The ACVS says rings, or spirals, around the outside of the trachea are used for collapse in the neck, while stents allow treatment of collapse in the neck or within the chest without a surgical incision. University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center describes the stent as the most common approach and says plastic rings are used less commonly and are only useful when the collapse is in the neck.

What A Pooled Review Of Stents Found

a 2024 review that pooled 15 studies of tracheal stents in dogs combined 15 studies published between 2000 and 2020. The pooled rates of complications were:

• Cough: 99 percent early, 75 percent late, and 52 percent clinically relevant late cough
• Lung and airway infections: 24 percent
• Granulomas (tissue growing around the stent): 20 percent
• Stent fracture: 12 percent
• Collapse coming back: 10 percent
• Stent migration: 5 percent

The authors say there was significant variation among studies for fractures, granulomas, infections, and late cough. They concluded that stenting is a second-line procedure that does not necessarily remove the need for medical treatment and frequent follow-up visits. The review looked at complications, not at how many dogs felt better.

What A Ring Study Found

a 2026 study of 69 dogs treated with an extraluminal prosthesis followed 69 dogs with the most severe, grade 4 collapse that had a continuous extraluminal prosthesis placed between 2018 and 2021. All 69 went home after surgery. The 36-month survival rate was 75.7 percent in dogs with the traditional pattern of collapse and 90.9 percent in dogs with a W-shaped pattern. Laryngeal paralysis, a problem with the voice box that can block breathing, happened in 5 dogs. All five needed another surgery, either unilateral arytenoid lateralization (a procedure on one side of the voice box) or a permanent tracheostomy (a permanent opening in the windpipe). Collapse came back in 3 dogs. Seven of the 8 dogs with complications needed surgery or an inside stent.

The paper lists limits. It was a record review at one hospital, all surgeries were done by one surgeon, and results may differ with other surgeons. It also excluded dogs with laryngeal paralysis, advanced heart valve disease, kidney disease, and other conditions that raise anesthesia risk. It notes that laryngeal paralysis is reported in 2 to 21 percent of dogs after ring placement across the literature.

Why The Numbers Do Not Line Up

Each source measures something different in a different group of dogs. A complication rate cannot be set against a survival rate. A grade 4 group is not the same as a mixed group. That is why we do not rank the procedures here.

What Mizzou Adds

Mizzou calls stenting a salvage treatment that can save lives and improve quality of life, but does not permanently fix the underlying problem. It says that even after a stent, medical treatment will likely be needed, that stents may not eliminate the cough, and that stents may eventually fail because the metal is not as flexible as a normal trachea. It states that no treatment comes without possible complications.

Next steps: Questions To Ask Before A Stent Or Ring Surgery, Recovery Timeline, and Success Rates And Risks.

To see listed practices near you that say they treat tracheal collapse, use Find A Practice. We show every listed practice that serves your area, and you choose who, if anyone, to contact.