What are the signs and symptoms of pneumonia in dogs, besides fever?

Some dogs with pneumonia are lethargic and sleep more, but not all. Lethargy can be a clinical sign of a huge number of conditions. If you are concerned that your dog is sleeping a lot or may have pneumonia, your dog should be examined by a vet.

Congestive heart failure and pneumonia can certainly have very similar symptoms in dogs - breathing hard, coughing, laying around more than normal, etc. Chest x-rays and blood work would normally help to determine which of these problems your dog has, as results of these tests would be different in congestive heart failure vs. pneumonia. If you have a more specific question about your dog's particular situation, feel free to post again - we would be happy to try and help.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign could be compatible with a respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a tracheitis/bronchitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

I'm sorry Abby is sick! If she sounds congested, you can try using a humidifier or bringing her into the bathroom with the door closed while you take a hot shower - the steam and humidity help to break up congestion and temporarily relieve symptoms associated with respiratory infections. Take her temperature rectally (a dog's normal temp is between 101.5-102.5F), and if it's above 103F, I would find an ER vet clinic or a vet on call to see her right away. Additionally, if she is having trouble breathing, I wouldn't wait until Monday and have her seen by a vet right away. Make sure she has access to plenty of fresh water and food. Rest her, taking her outside only to potty and then bring her right back in when she's done. Keep her in a quiet area of the house. If at any time you are concerned about her or her symptoms, again take her into an ER vet or find a vet on call to see her. I hope this helps!

Bronchial pneumonia can be a very serious diagnosis. Sometimes pets that have been diagnosed with pneumonia need oxygen therapy for a few days until the antibiotics kick in. He seems to be very uncomfortable because of his difficulty breathing. My recommendation is to have him seen at a facility that can provide oxygen therapy. In the mean time, you might try taking him in a steamy bathroom and patting his chest firmly until you can make him cough. This may help break up some of the mucous, but the best thing for him is oxygen therapy and continued antibiotics. Best wishes!

As I was reading your description, I was suspecting Distemper as the cause. The signs of illness that you described are very typical for Distemper and a cough or fever is not necessary to make the diagnosis. Unfortunately, providing a second opinion is quite difficult without examining and doing some testing with Caeser. There are some tests available for diagnosing distemper, but the accuracy of the test varies. You can ask your vet about this test. Otherwise, I recommend following your vet's advice for treatment, because Distemper can be a very serious disease. I hope that helps and Caesar gets better soon.

Breathing difficulties is always an emergency so you need to take Kittoo to your local vets as soon as possible. Pneumonia is one of the possibility, distemper can also affect the lungs but it usually affects young dogs. Breathing problems can also be caused by heart diseases, upper airways diseases (collapsed trachea, bronchitis etc), anaemia, even painful problems within the abdomen. It is not possible to say what is going on without examining Kittoo, so you really need to take him to your nearest vets to find out what is going on.