My friend's 3 year old Labrador has been diagnosed with Idiopathic Chylothorax. I'm doing some research, but wondered if anyone out there has dealt with it and what the prognosis is in your experience. Based on what I see on the Internet, it's not good so I guess I'm looking to folks here to let me know if there is a glimmer of hope for this pup and his family...

Thank you.

I had a bitch that had this at five years of age. She was placed on R/D diet and Rutin to try and keep the fat/cholesterol levels low. After draining the chest cavity twice (of 1.5 liters or more of chyle fluid) we decided to humanely euthanize her. It is awful to watch the fluid build back up and watch them struggle to expand their lungs. My girl also had idiopathic chylothorax with no heart abnormalities and no trauma. It is an awful disease that is very hard to maintain. Best of luck.

Is there a possibility that there could have been some kind of trauma and/or foreign body puncture that precipitated the chylothorax? From what I remember, Chylothorax has more to do with the lymphatic system, but if there is trauma or a foreign body, the dog's body would react to that by producing more fluid or scar tissue in the lungs or chest cavity.
Do they live in an area where there are foxtails or any kind of weed seeds that could get into the respiratory system of the dog? Or is there a possibility of trauma to the chest? He is a young dog, so I would not think of lymphatic cancer at his age, would think more along the lines of injury or inhaling something.
Idiopathic means they have not determined a cause for the chylothorax.
I may be off base on this, but it's a thought to explore. Good luck to the dog and the owners.

So, if this person wanted to get a second opinion, or see a specialist, what type of vet should he seek out?

Thank you for the two responses thus far...

I don't know about this diagnosis, but I remember that Grady (FC Cut a Lean Grade) had a horrible problem with grass awns and needed surgery, as have others. You might want to click on the website below or type it in as here:
http://www.meanseeds.com/

Good luck. You might also want to give the dog's general location. You need a vet who has experience and is looking for grass awns or a foreign body, I take it.

See the links on the website, including those off this site:
http://essfta.org/Health_Research/grass_awn.htm

I went to a specialty center in my area that had both a cardiologist and internist.

WOW! "Mean seeds" is right! I'll pass this information along. Thanks so much!