My dog is still sick after antibiotics. Should I take him to the vet?

Hello! It sounds as if his antibiotic course may not have been long enough, but it is a little hard to know for sure, as I'm not sure what he was being treated for. It sounds like he might have had a fever. Possibly he had kennel cough, in which case, antibiotics often need to be for up to 10 days. Would you be able to take him back in to see his vet, to be checked over, and possibly to be re-started on his antibiotics? Some blood work might be helpful, too! He might need specific treatment for his eyes as well. He is adorable, and I really hope he feels better soon!

It sounds like they had a touch of kennel cough which is like dog flu. What can happen when treating with antibiotics that if the course finishes too soon it can make them better but hasn't completely killed the bugs then it recurs. I would visit your vet as you may need a longer course or different antibiotic.

This does not sound like a typical Kennel cough, which is usually responsive to antibiotics within 3-4 days, and then goes away after stopping medication in about 10 days time. There is something else going on here, which could include any of the following: an underlying heart condition (the heart and lungs are very much involved with each other), laryngeal paralysis (causes coughing in young adult dogs but not as common as other disorders), lung parasite, fungal infection of the lungs. You will have to get some testing done at this point to determine what the underlying cause is so that we know how best to treat Bruno moving forward. I would recommend starting with chest x-rays through your vet. I hope that Bruno feels better soon! Best wishes and take care.

Your puppy could indeed be suffering from an upper respiratory infection such as kennel cough which can last up to 6 weeks. however it should then be treated with possibly another antibiotic (if your vet deems it necessary). Carl could be suffering from a collapsing trachea as well. This is a common condition in small dogs such as pugs. This can be easily diagnosed with an x-ray. You should take Carl back to the veterinarian for a recheck this week.

Thank you for reaching out to the consultation service. If she is still acting lethargic and has not improved after 10 days of the antibiotic‘s, there are only a few reasons why this is not working. She should be showing signs of improvement by this time if the drugs being used the correct medications for the condition being treated. But obviously something is wrong. First, you may have been giving an antibiotic that was resistant against the infectious agent or whatever is causing the disease. Second, if it is indeed a virus causing the symptoms, then an antibiotic will not be effective. Lastly, maybe the dosage needs to be increased in milligrams as well as frequency. I strongly urge you to contact your veterinarian the soonest possible to have another physical examination performed. You may even need to do some chest x-rays or a cold sure of the respiratory mucus. Please do this before the symptoms worsen and your dog gets sicker. I hope I have helped you today. Thanks for your question.

Yes, this can be normal. Sometimes a longer course of antibiotics is needed to treat a respiratory infection. Keep in touch with Nugget's vet to update them on her progress, and get her into the vet immediately if she stops eating, the cough gets worse, or she becomes very lethargic. Best of luck.

The cough can linger for a couple weeks. If he is otherwise acting normal than it may just take a little more time for the cough to resolve. If you notice any lethargy, anorexia, difficulty breathing, or fever than I he should definitely be rechecked.