Home Treatments for Pneumonia in Dogs
Your veterinarian can recommend the best way to care for your sick dog at home. They may suggest:
While your dog needs rest, they may also benefit from short bouts of exercise that can loosen mucus secretions and help your dog cough out debris. However, follow your dogs lead and dont force them to exercise if theyre not up for it.
As with canine influenza, youre not likely to contract pneumonia from your dog. However, bacterial and viral pneumonia can be transmitted easily between dogs, especially if they are very young, older, or have a compromised immune system. If you have multiple dogs in the home, you will need to separate the healthy ones from your sick pooch.
You should also thoroughly clean all bedding, bowls, and gear, such as leashes, collars, and harnesses, to help avoid spreading the disease. In addition, be sure to wash your hands after handling your sick dog and consider wearing a protective garment over your clothing to help avoid spreading the disease that way.
Is It Pneumonia or the Flu?
The symptoms of canine influenza are similar to those of pneumonia. They can include fever, moist or dry coughing, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and a lack of appetite. It can be difficult to tell at home what is causing your dogs illness. Thats why its important to take them to the veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment plan.
If your dog is diagnosed with the flu, treatment will focus on alleviating the symptoms. For instance, your veterinarian may prescribe NSAIDs to reduce fever and cough suppressants to help break up mucus secretions. They may also recommend an antibiotic if your dog has a secondary bacterial infection. In rare cases, your dog might require hospitalization and supportive care.
Signs and Symptoms of Pneumonia in Dogs
No matter how your dog gets pneumonia, the resulting irritation and inflammation of the lungs generally cause the same symptoms. Coughing is a hallmark sign but it can also indicate other conditions such as collapsed trachea, kennel cough, and even heart disease. In addition to coughing, pneumonia may cause some of the following symptoms in your dog:
“Bacteria and viruses that cause pneumonia can pass from dog-to-dog and dog-to-cat,” Whittenberg says. “Its possible, but extremely rare, for dogs to pass respiratory infections to people.” If you have multiple pets in your home, its best to keep your sick pup isolated from the rest of the gang while he recovers.
PNEUMONIA IN DOGS – Signs, Symptoms and What to Do –
Feeling troubled by your dogs coughing? Trust your gut. Persistent coughing is a sign that somethings wrong with your pups respiratory system and it could be pneumonia. Like in people, pneumonia in dogs is a serious but treatable condition especially if its caught at an early stage. Read on to learn more about pneumonia in dogs and how you can help your pooch bounce back.
Pneumonia occurs when your dogs lungs become inflamed and make breathing difficult, explains Jamie Whittenberg, DVM, owner of Kingsgate Animal Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, and Senior Tailwaggers contributor. “When affected by pneumonia, the small air sacs in the lungs become filled with fluid and cant oxygenate the blood properly.”
While pneumonia in cats is rare, its one of the most common diagnoses in dogs who are experiencing breathing problems, Whittenberg reports. Wondering how dogs get pneumonia? It develops in multiple ways.
The most common way dogs get pneumonia is through a bacterial infection of the lungs. One of the top culprits is bordetella bacteria (kennel cough), which is why the bordetella vaccine is so important.
This type of pneumonia is caused by viral lung infections. Canine distemper and canine influenza—two viruses your pooch can get vaccinated for—frequently cause viral pneumonia.
More rarely, pneumonia is caused by a fungal infection of the lungs. This typically happens when a dog inhales fungal spores found in things like soil or fallen leaves. Most healthy dogs can successfully fight off fungal spores. But dogs with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop fungal infections.
Aspiration pneumonia is caused by inhaling a foreign substance like liquid medicine, vomit, food, or water. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, the type of inhaled material and how far it is spread through the lungs will dictate the severity of illness.