My puppy is weak and recovering slowly. How can I speed up recovery?

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

Awww. It's very nice of you to take on this type of responsibility. The first thing you should do is to take him into the vet for an initial examination. They will be able to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong, versus simply malnutrition and dehydration. If this is the case, Champ will likely require something to eliminate gastrointestinal parasites. He belly looks very round in that picture, which in young dogs is usually associated with worms. This can be a very common cause of weakness and malnutrition, and the nutrients that he is consuming will not be properly absorbed until the parasites are eradicated. The veterinarian will also probably want to give some fluids, either subcutaneously or directly into the bloodstream. The method of delivery will ultimately be decided based upon the level of dehydration the vet detects. Champ will require a healthy, high quality large breed puppy food eventually. However, in the meantime, I would provide something like a Purina Critical Nutrition or HIll's A/D. These are prescription diets that are very high in fat and high calorie, and are typically not easily turned down by even the sickest of pets. Lastly, Champ probably needs your love, warmth and support. I am sure you have plenty of this.

I'm sorry Chloe was so sick! When a puppy is sick from a GI problem, it can take a few days for them to recover fully from it. You can try feeding him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days to see if that helps. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If he still is acting lethargic after this, then I would have him seen by a vet.

Anemia in puppies can be caused by tick born infections and from intestinal parasites. There is also a small chance that a puppy would be born with a bone marrow problem. The doxycycline has a good chance of a cure, but I would highly encourage you to visit with your veterinarian about a broad spectrum deworming protocol to make sure that is addressed as well. Depending on how anemic he is will determine how long he takes to recover. However, if the medication is working you should see improvement within 2 weeks or so. A follow up appointment with your veterinarian would be a good plan. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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!

Respiratory diseases can take quite a bit of time to resolve. If it has only been 4 days I really think you need to give her more time. I really cannot comment on those medications as I am not familiar with them; we do not use them in the U.S. Without knowing her diagnosis (respiratory disease is very vague) it is very difficult to give you any further advice. If you do not think she is improving I suggest you take her back to the vet for some x-rays of her lungs and some blood testing.

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.