My old dog is weak, breathing poorly, and has spots on his lungs. Why?

You might ask your veterinarian if the X-rays could be reviewed by a radiologist. While the resolution that the forum pictures allow makes them a bit difficult to interpret, I am concerned that the X-rays do not appear normal, and she may have a more serious underlying condition. It may be that she has some underlying heart disease, cancer, or an infection that requires a more broad spectrum of antibiotic. I agree the blood work you've attached is unremarkable. Was a CBC performed as well? Check back with your vet about a radiology review, and a recheck exam as well. A consult with a cardiologist may be recommended, depending on the radiologist's opinion. I'm sorry I don't have better news, or a solution to offer you to try at home, but I think you need to circle back and followup with your vet on this. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The fact that these biopsies have come back inconclusive does not mean that this is not cancer. Unfortunately, this is very likely an aggressive form of cancer. After seeing these images, my main concern is that this is possibly a tumor arising from one of the ribs or sternebrae such as osteosarcoma for instance. In one of the images I see that there is likely pulmonary nodules which are most likely due to metastasis or spread of this cancer. It is hard for me to advice further without being able to look at more images or know more about the case. I would encourage you to check in again with them as another biopsy could be performed. Also, if there is truly already signs of metastasis, the treatment options and prognosis are also limited. I would mention to them the possibility of being referred to a veterinary oncologist who can look at the case with more details and advice further. I really hope they can help you and your boy!

Hello. I know that any spot on the lung is of concern, but if there are no symptoms & he is improving on the medications, I would think this going to be a healing lesion. Doing follow up radiographs are very important to make sure the lesion is indeed resolving. I am very hopeful that Kakadu does not have cancer. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It can be very difficult to evaluate x-rays without being on the computer that took them - I can't manipulate the lightness and darkness or zoom in all the way. That being said, I am concerned that there is something very serious going on in Jasmine's liver. It is much, much larger than in a normal dog. I can't see the entire spleen, but the parts that I see appear normal. I can also see that there is some free fluid in her chest cavity - this would be fluid between the lungs and chest wall that can cause trouble breathing. I would recommend re-evaluation immediately with an emergency vet. There could be many things going on, but the heavy breathing you described combined with the abnormalities in the chest have me worried that she may be having severe issues with breathing. This can cause severe anxiety and stress in a dog. The vet will probably want to repeat the x-rays and bloodwork, and may be able to draw off fluid if it is still there to ease her breathing.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dante. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian today if he is having difficulty breathing. He may have an upper respiratory tract infection, but there are more serious causes of trouble breathing. The veterinarian will examine him and make recommendations based on these findings. For example, if the lungs or heart sound abnormal, then x-rays of the chest are typically needed. Treatment is based on these results. The mass on the chest should also be examined. A procedure known as a fine needle aspirate is used to diagnose a skin or subcutaneous mass. The doctor will use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This will tell if the mass is cancerous or not. It is unlikely though that the mass is related to his current clinical signs. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! One possibility that may not be clearly evident on radiographs is pulmonary hypertension. However, I would still consider other things possible such as pneumonia or heart failure which may not show up on radiographs when it is too early in the disease process. I would recommend rechecking radiographs and if nothing shows up, I would recommend considering a CT scan of the thorax which is more sensitive to pick up small changes in many instances. Good luck and have a great day!

These are alarming symptoms indeed. For an older dog with coughing and lethargy, my top suspicions would be: heart disease, heartworm disease (if he is not current on heartworm prevention) primary lung cancer, pneumonia or a heart based tumor. He is at risk for all of these based on his breed. I would highly recommend taking him in to your vet for bloodwork analysis and chest radiographs to properly diagnose him based on the many possible causes stated above. Poor guy. He sounds very unstable for now and the quicker you can get him in to a vet the better. I hope that this is something you can treat for, but the odds of it being something major are high in an older large breed dog. I send you all my best in getting Casper well again. Take care and best wishes.