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My dog is coughing and spitting up clear fluid. He had pneumonia before and was on antibiotics for 4 weeks. We have just been through another session of pneumonia for 6 weeks of antibiotics. I just finished the antibiotics and he is beginning to cough again. He is a 2 and a half year old Cavalier King Charles spaniel with no known other problem.
Pet's Sex: MalePet's Age: 2 Already Tried: ampicillin 250 mg twice a day Batrile ? once a day. He is up to date on all shots and takes interceptor once a month. His weight is 20 pounds
Hi David, sorry to hear that your dog has been repeatedly ill. Does he eat and drink without problems? Or does he cough and sputter while eating or drinking? Does he vomit or have any problems swallowing?
He, David, does not have any problems eating or drinking. He does not have any problems swallowing. He was X rayed in early May and had a" white" left lung. Right lung looked normal. 4 weeks after antibiotics, he was reXrayed and the left and right lungs appeared clear. When I took him in again in July, before the current 6 weeks of antibiotics, the left lung again appeared white in the Xray--but it wasn't as bad as before. He is due for another Xray, after being off antibiotics for a week. I am pretty sure the left lung will again not be clear, given the fact that he has been acting lethargic for the past two days and he is starting to cough and spit up clear liquid.The ER vet put him on pepcid for a week at the beginning of the last round of antibiotics. I followed her advice.Thanks, XXXXX XXXXX
His labs are normal, no fever, and he does not have Cushings.
Thanks for the information. Given this clinical history, I would be recommending a closer look at the lungs - with bronchoscopy, allowing for a biopsy of the lung as well as collection of fluid for culture, to determine if there's a resistant bacterial infection going on. The continued recurrence of this problem suggests that maybe the antibiotic is only suppressing the problem, rather than curing it. Culture may show that there's a better antibiotic that could eliminate the problem. Biopsy or cytology of the lung tissue might give some clues as to the underlying cause - it's possible that there's an allergy or hypersensitivity that is predisposing him to infections. Also, it's possible that his larynx may not be closing completely when eating, resulting in chronic low grade aspiration pneumonia.
Veterinarian
Small Animal Medicine and Surgery