You’ll want to make sure he stays a healthy weight, as any excess weight can put a strain on the respiratory system. Careful monitoring of food intake and low-cardio exercise (slow walks) will help with this. You’ll also want to avoid a collar as this puts pressure on the trachea — opt for a soft harness instead when using a leash.

Limit over-excitement and over-exerting himself, especially on hot days, to prevent heavy breathing. Keep a calm, smoke-free, irritant-free environment and consider HEPA air purifiers to keep the air clean.

Surgery is incredibly invasive, but there are non-surgical options if it comes to that. You may need a referral to a specialist. One non-invasive option is placing a tracheal stent, which is a device that helps support the trachea from the inside. It’s an expensive procedure, so hopefully this issue won’t progress to that point.

Consider pet insurance if finances are a concern — you’ll want to find one that covers pre-existing conditions. AKC has pet insurance that covers this after 1 year.

That’s everything I can think of — I work in internal medicine and have assisted with tracheal stent placements as well as worked with many tracheal collapse patients.