My dog has severe pneumonia and trouble breathing. How can I help him?

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!

Yes, it is quite possible the pneumonia has not resolved. She needs urgent reassessment by a vet and further medication, possibly intravenous fluids and antibiotics in order to stabilise her condition. Such severe pneumonia in a young pup is very concerning and can be fatal due to lung scarring and collapse. It is possible there may be underlying birth defects contributing to the original condition and/or her poor response to treatment

I'm sorry Maggie has pneumonia! 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. As for the antibiotic, because you aren't sure if she ate it or not, I would wait for the next dose. Try hiding it in some peanut butter or boiled white meat chicken (no bones), and stay with her to make sure she swallows it and doesn't spit it up. You may have to put the pill in the back of her throat to ensure she swallows it. I will put a video below on how to do this. If she goes into respiratory distress, i.e. has trouble breathing, then I wouldn't wait until Monday to bring her back into the vet and I would rush her into an ER vet right away. Best of luck, I hope this helps! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3yHgItqGmo

I wouldn’t recommend attempting to feed witha syringe - this can lead to food aversions or aspiration. You may want to consider restarting the nausea medication since nausea could lead to a decrease in appetite and I can’t think of an anti-nausea medication that would affect mucus. You could also consider asking your vet about an appetite stimulant medication for the short term.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am so sorry to hear about Bizou! Unfortunately, if he is in congestive heart failure, the only treatment is the lasix pill (furosemide). Depending on how severe his condition is, he may not survive without hospitalization with oxygen and injectible lasix. Your vet may have a strong suspicion of this if Bizou has a heart murmur and many crackles in the lungs (we can hear with the stethoscope). However, even that is not enough to definitively diagnose it. I have seen a couple dogs I was sure were in heart failure and when I took the x-rays, it turned out to be pneumonia or cancer. If you can at all afford it, go for the xrays so you at least know what you are dealing with - if it's cancer instead of heart failure, that may change your approach. If it is heart failure, it will give a clue as to how serious. If you can't afford the x-rays, treat for whatever the vet thinks is most likely. If heart failure is it, the most commonly prescribed medications are furosemide, enalapril, and pimobendan (though there are others). Finally, if he is still struggling for air, his tongue/gums are any color other than bright pink, or the vet thinks it is serious enough to require oxygen, and you cannot pay for treatment, I would strongly consider euthanasia. Dying by gasping and struggling for air while drowning in your own fluids is a horrible way to go - I've seen it several times. Please feel free to reach out to me via consultation if you'd like to to have a more detailed conversation with you. Best wishes to you and Bizou.

Hello, I am sorry to hear about Fabio. It should be alright to give him a bath. I would be extra careful to keep water away from his face and head to prevent him from aspirating any additional water. I would ensure that he is strong enough to stand on his own, as laying in the water could increase his chances of further aspiration. Hope this helps and that Fabio is feeling better!

Poor Moca - he is having a tough time! A suspect pneumonia which has not responded to regular treatment should be x-rayed in order to determine any complicating factors and also be tested for parasites. A swab of fluid from the airways may also need to be cultured in order to determine the type of infection