Coco is a rescue I have adopted. Before I got her, she was diagnosed with Bronchitis, and was given Zeniquin. The antibiotics were done as of September 2, but she still has a bad coughing fit about 3 to 4 times a day that can go on for 10 minutes or so. I can't take her to the same vet, as she was transported across province to me, so am looking for advice. Have tried an expectorant cough syrop to clear out the congestion, am wondering if I should switch to cough suppressant, or whether she needs more antibiotics. She is eating well, and drinking, but when she exerts herself, she brings on coughing fit, but does play a bit each day. Seems to have no breathing problems outside of the cough. Her bathroom habits seem normal, and there appear to be no other symptoms other than the cough.
bronchitis
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CocoSymptoms: coughing -
Veteran Advisor David says:
Chronic bronchitis (CB) is an inflammatory airway disease, which, in association with tracheobronchial collapse, is the most common chronic canine airway disorder. Inflammation within airways causes a chronic cough and excessive mucus production. Because, dogs can’t expectorate (spit), it is not always easy to know if the dog is making increased airway mucus. Therefore, the diagnosis of CB is usually based on chronic cough alone.
Because we diagnose CB on the basis of a daily cough, we need to be sure that other causes of chronic cough such as heart failure, heartworm infestation, pneumonia, lung tumor, etc., have been ruled out. This can be complicated, in part, because CB is a disease of older dogs, and these animals may have any of these other, co-existing disorders, which can by themselves, cause cough. Additionally, certain drugs used to treat CB in dogs may be inappropriate and even contraindicated for disorders other than CB. Importantly then, the diagnosis of CB must be made with some degree of certainty to avoid potential complications related to therapy.
Treatment Options
The primary treatment of CB is based entirely on controlling airway inflammation
Corticosteroids
Glucocorticoids have been used to treat humans with bronchial disease for over 50 years. They are clearly the most effective treatment for this disorder, although potentially debilitating side effects limit their use in this clinical setting. Additionally, steroids decrease the volume of mucus produced by bronchitic airways.
Bronchodilators
It would make sense to use bronchodilators to treat dogs with CB if some degree of bronchoconstriction (narrowed airways) existed.
Antibiotics
Bacterial infection probably doesn’t play a significant role in most cases of canine CB.
Cough Suppressants
Chronic airway inflammation causes production of lots of thick mucus, probably as a protective mechanism to trap the offending irritant from reaching the lung. Coughing is very important to clear this mucus and should be thought of as a protective physiologic reflex. However, there are many cases in which the cough is dry and non-productive. In these situations, the cough is not protective and serves to further irritate the airway, leading to a vicious cycle of cough-irritation-cough.
Mucolytics
have been suggested as a form of therapy for dogs with airway disease associated with excessive secretion of mucus.
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abstracted from Diagnosis and Therapy of Canine Chronic Bronchitis by Philip Padrid
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User says:
If it was chronic bronchitis it would be helpful, but the veterinarian diagnosed bronchitis, and as far as I know it is not the chronic variety. Coco has a productive cough. As I said, she was a rescue, and was treated, and cleared for adoption by the vet about 3 weeks ago. What I need to know, is should I give her a cough suppressant now, or does she need more antibiotics, in which case, I need to get her to a vet here.
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Veteran Advisor David says:
This sounds like a chronic problem to me. Chronic implies long standing. Unfortunately without examining her I cannot suggest medications for her. If she is worse or not improving then she should be seen by your vet.
My thoughts are not to give her a suppressant if she is bringing up phlegm as it is important for this to be cleared. It may be she needs a trial of steroids as mentioned above but this will be determined by your vet.
Hope that helps, David
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