4. If a piece of the trachea is cut out and it is still attached like a flap, and the section is large enough for an Isar to pass through it, the animal is a Tereifah.
How is this different than if the piece of trachea is completely missing? is it just a minor difference of the ease of movement of the Issar through the hole?
Mitchell A. Morgenstern, Chicago, USA
In practice, if the size of an Isar is missing from the trachea this represents sufficient damage for the animal to be considered a Tereifah, since it will not be able to survive twelve months as a result of the damage. It does not make a difference if part of the trachea is still attached like a flap or if the piece is completely missing; the Isar-size hole in the trachea means the animal cannot recover.
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom