[rainedbows]

Hello all,

I'm sorry for asking advice again, but I'm really lost.

I posted before about my 13 year old goldendoodle reverse sneezing/coughing. We went to the vet and said she had a mild infection and got an antibiotic. It got worse and the emergency vet said it was kennel cough and was given a cough suppressant. It got WAY worse and our vet said it was pneumonia and gave a shot and oral antibiotics. It's getting worse still - she only wants to drink and it goes in water and some comes back out in slime form. She eats very little which I believe mostly comes from the medication and a sore throat because she coughs constantly. She drools a slimy fluid constantly, especially after she drinks. She sounds full of phlegm and just looks miserable. Most meds stay down, but I'm thinking some come back up in the foam.

Her X-rays showed nothing except some phlegm in her lungs. She has always been healthy and hasn't been around anything before all this began. ]

Tomorrow is Sunday and the emergency vet isn't an option (which is fine, she only glanced at my dog and said it was kennel cough so that was no help anyway) and the vets are closed. WHAT CAN I DO? I have given her electrolytes (like for babies) and all sorts of canned dog food and she turns her nose at all of them.

Monday will be the 4th vet visit in 1.5 weeks now and it is only getting worse. They keep telling me it is an infection so I have hope, but she looks and acts so bad and no medication has even helped at this point. She hasn't even slept or rested today and she was up most of the night just coughing and hacking.

Does anyone have any ideas what else this could be? Of course, I'm going to the vet again, but I'm starting to lose hope and it seems they don't know either.

Thank you, everyone. Any advice helps greatly.

 

[TrampolineBoxer]

That is quite concerning, if your vet doesn't provide any helpful opinions or you thing there is something they have missed I recommend going to a different vet and give your dog a check up, also what sort of infection did the vet say it was?

 

[rainedbows]

The first time he said it was probably a general throat irritation/infection. It made sense because it was really mild and was only set off when she would eat or pull on the leash. This last time he said is was likely pneumonia.

This vet has been great in the past and I feel like the diagnosis matches her symptoms (besides the ER vet, she barely looked at my dog) but she just gets worse a day or two later. I will take her elsewhere if Monday doesn't bring solid results, but he said bloodwork was next. I can't imagine how this could get much worse :\

 

[agility collie mom]

Lungworm In Dogs - Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention | VetsNow Has the vet checked for this parasite? It is not common and hard to diagnose.

 

[Laco]

If you are concerned that it could be pneumonia, a simple lung X-ray will tell, non-invasive, and minimal discomfort for your dog.

 

[Rain]

I had a dog in the past that had kennel cough turn into pneumonia, in his case it took trying a few different antibiotics before they found one that worked to clear it up.

Take her back in tomorrow, or tonight if she gets severely worse, it might be worth it to get a second opinion.

 

[animalcraker]

As Rain said you may need a different antibiotic. Some infections are resistant to certain antibiotics and sensitive to others. Your vet will usually choose the most broad spectrum one that is most likely to clear up the infection, but there's always a chance that the more specific antibiotic was the better choice. Blood work would tell you how severe the infection is and if there's any underlying organ dysfunction preventing her from getting better. I would also recommend having a culture done to find out exactly what "bug" she has and which antibiotic it is sensitive to, in addition to changing antibiotics since the first one clearly isn't working.

 

[rainedbows]

I just thought I would post a follow up in case someone else ran into the same issue down the line and doesn't have to fight for answers. It turns out my dog had megaesophagus. She was unable to swallow, so some of her medication likely wasn't ingested and the pneumonia just got worse and made it hard for her to breathe, eat and drink. Developing megaesophagus later in life evidently is the result of a different disease that can attack the brain, etc. even if the megaesophagus is addressed. Because this horrible issue took down my 13 year old puppy so fast (she was physically so healthy and happy before) she ultimately couldn't fight it and passed away. Thank you for all the suggestions and thoughts! I miss her greatly but it's nice to know there were so many that loved her and still helped in so many ways.

 

[LuvMyFluff]

I am so so sorry for your loss, and hope you find peace in knowing that you tried so hard, and loved her so much! ((( hugs)))

 

[Rain]

I am so sorry for your loss Thanks for updating us in case it will help someone else.

 

[BellaScarlett]

rainedbows, so sorry for your loss.

 

[Laco]

So sorry you lost her. You certainly should feel you did all that was possible for her, but unfortunately there are times when its just not possible to change the outcome.