My old dog's dry cough after pneumonia treatment. Is it normal?

You didn't mention if his cough improved with each treatment. I am presuming that it improved, but then started again when you finished the medication. Since the cough has been going on for a period of months, is dry and recurs without medications, you could be dealing with something like chronic bronchitis, but there are other things that your vet needs to look for as well. I have attached information below on chronic bronchitis. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3151 If that is what BigMoe is dealing with, he may need to be on some medication long term instead of just a short term medication. I know you're on a fixed income, but I would speak to your vet about how BigMoe has responded to TemarilP and Hydrocodone and decide on your next treatment plan. Good luck! I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using PetCoach.

It's possible that the inflammation in the airways just has not completely resolved, and the pred was helping to decrease that inflammation. If he's still eating and drinking, and he's active and happy, I wouldn't be too concerned yet. Give it another 5 days or so, if the cough is still persisting, followup with your vet. If his breathing is labored at all, or if he seems depressed or has a decreased appetite, please followup with your vet. As for being contagious, he may still be. I would wait at least another week before having him around other dogs. Here some more information you may find helpful. https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/kennel-cough/ Thanks for asking PetCoach!

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!

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.

Hi, If the dog completed his antibiotic course but still he is presenting signs of cough and breathing sounds, I would recommend to follow up with the vet. Senior dogs can show longer signs of illness in kennel cough but that needs to be monitored by a vet because if persist further investigation may be warranted.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Pete! Was Pete put on antibiotics when he was seen? Kennel cough is caused by many viral, bacterial or mycoplasma organisms. There is only the ONE vaccine for Bordatella. A lot of dogs sadly get a different bacteria or virus that causes the kennel cough signs. Kennel cough is very goose honkey. Since Pete is lethargic, has a decreased appetite, is pacing at night and is 12 years old he should be rechecked. I would recommend X-rays of his chest. If his heart and lungs look clear then either put him on antibiotics and a cough suppressant if he isn't on anything or change the medications since he isn't improving and is actually getting worse. I worry about older dogs with possible kennel cough. The young and the old have increased risk for kennel cough to progress to pneumonia. I hope this helps and I wish Pete the very best!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While antibiotics can cause vomiting and nausea, a cough can definitely be due to aspiration pneumonia. However, other conditions unrelated to possible aspiration such as heart disease, infectious pneumonia, or heart worm infection can cause coughing as well and may just be a coincidence. If you are concerned about Chester’s cough, I recommend having him seen by his vet to rule out the conditions above. They can perform bloodwork and x-rays to make a diagnosis and begin the appropriate treatment. I hope this helps and that all is well with Chester!