My puppy has pneumonia, antibiotics aren't helping. What should I do?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If your puppy is not improving after being on medications for a week or is worsening, I would schedule a recheck with your vet. Sometimes switching to a different antibiotic may help. The particular antibiotic that your puppy is on may also cause growth defects, but this is rarely seen. I typically use Clavamox or doxycycline for Respiratory bugs in puppies. Another alternative treatment your vet might consider, is initiating nebulization therapy to help relieve some of the symptoms your puppy is experiencing. I hope this helps and I hope your puppy gets better soon! Please contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed. Please remember to write this post as helpful or not. Thank you!

Sometimes they are able to cough up the mucus and other times it is slowly absorbed by the body. Since she’s having trouble breathing I recommend to call and update your veterinarian. They may recommend to see Cassie again. Best of luck and I hope this helps. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

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!

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!

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 so sorry for Roark's diagnosis. If Roark is still exhibiting signs like coughing and an increased breathing rate he could still be experiencing issues with pneumonia however these signs could also be a result of his cancerous mass. You can continue the antibiotics until you can get Roark in for a recheck of X-rays to determine if he still has pneumonia. Ultimately X-rays will be needed to know if he should remain on the antibiotics. If coughing or respiratory changes are occurring secondary to the cancer then you may want to discuss other medication options with your veterinarian that will help alleviate his discomfort. Using an antibiotic if the cough is related to the mass will not help anything and will actually put Roark at risk for negative side effects. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm sorry to hear Furo is feeling so unwell. If he is so weak that he is unable to eat or walk it would be best to keep him at the vet so that he can be hospitalized and treated with IV fluids to help regain his strength while the antibiotics work. He may need more intensive care than you can provide at home, especially if his pneumonia is bad and he is unable to breathe well. If you cannot keep him hospitalized, talking with your vet to see if you can start giving subcutaneous fluids at home may help him some. Wet foods that are warmed up may also be easier to eat and can provide both nutrition and hydration for him as well.