My dog has heartworms & kennel cough. Is cephalexin enough for his cough?

Hello there! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to post your questions regarding Maxx. It looks like he is on quite the combination of medications to try and suppress the coughing. I personally do not find that the cough tabs help much. I have had great success using hydrocodone or butorphanol tablets. The albuterol is good for a bronchodilator. You might consider talking to your veterinarian about using a inhaler called flovent. Fluticasone might be a better option to use. I would talk to your veterinarian about these other options and see if this would work best for Maxx. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available to talk with via text or phone using the consultation service

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While kennel cough is caused by a bacteria called Bordetella bronchiseptica, other bacteria and viruses can cause upper respiratory infections. These can occasionally progress to pneumonia if not treated appropriately with antibiotics and supportive care. Other causes of coughing include collapsing trachea, heartworm disease, heart disease, and masses. I recommend having Tator seen by a vet to rule out the conditions above and receive appropriate treatment. In the meantime, I recommend limiting Tator’s activity so that he does not get stressed and using a harness rather than a collar for walks.

I don't typically appreciate a raspy voice with heartworm disease, although it can definitely cause coughing. The definitive treatment for heartworm disease is typically a series of intramuscular injections that are given by a veterinarian, so I'm not sure what oral treatment you were given, unless it was the antibiotic doxycycline which is often used to treat a potential secondary infection, or the anti-inflammatory predisone, which controls the clinical signs (coughing). Neither of these is a definitive treatment, so I'm worried that something got confused in the instructions you were given, and I would strongly recommend calling the vet who made the heartworm diagnosis and having a conversation about what comes next.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would assume if Danny has something infectious like a bacterial or viral pneumonia he would have improved with antibiotics or the virus would have ran it's course. The only advice in retrospect would have been to not stop the antibiotic until the cough had resolved for at least a week or 2. Some pneumonia's require 4-8 weeks of antibiotics. He definitely could have something else going on in his lungs like heart worm, heart disease, tracheal disease, a hernia, fungal pneumonia (they are very sick), cancer or allergic airway disease. If you are able try to get Danny to a vet for an exam, heart worm test and chest X-rays. I wish you the best!

Coughing can occur from the damage the worms are doing to the lungs. It could also be caused by the worms dying off and causing inflammation, although I'm not sure how likely that is with the slow kill method. I would recommend keeping him crated and resting (no walks, no running, no excitement -- basically no getting his heart rate up) until he can get to the vet for evaluation, which will likely include chest x-rays and a discussion of if he needs anti-inflammatory medication and cage rest to get through this treatment. Wishing you and Bug (love his name!) the best of luck.

I would recommend putting dozer on a 30 day course of antibiotics before the 2nd and 3rd injection. I would recommend consulting your vet for the medication and the proper dose. The antibiotic will kill the bacteria that live in the mircofilaria and are though to cause more inflammation.

I am so sorry that Tucker has tested heartworm positive. I adopted a dog that was heartworm positive, so I certainly understand how difficult it is to make a decision on treatment. I am attaching a link below to the American Heartworm Society (AHS) which has a lot of good information for you. https://www.heartwormsociety.org/ The AHS does not recommend the "slow kill" method as it's treatment of choice, but does recommend the following for an alternative treatment if needed. They recommend Doxycycline and either ivermectin or topical Moxidextin. ("Topical moxidectin is now FDA-approved for use in heartworm-positive dogs.") They do not list ivermectin or topical Moxidextin as being better than the other, so they should have the same efficacy. Injectible Moxidectin (Proheart) is not listed by the AHS as recommended and the company that manufactures Proheart lists that it "should be used with caution in heartworm positive dogs". I am attaching the exact recommendation from the AHS below. " In cases where arsenical therapy is not possible or is contraindicated, the use of a monthly heartworm preventive along with doxycycline at 10 mg/kg BID for a 4-week period might be considered. An antigen test should be performed every 6 months and the dog not considered cleared until two consecutive NAD (no antigen detected) heartworm antigen tests, 6 months apart, have been obtained. If the dog is still antigen positive after one year, repeat the doxycycline therapy. Exercise should be rigidly restricted for the duration of the treatment process." So, I would recommend reviewing the AHS website, then discussing it further with your vet. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.