My dog has aspiration pneumonia. Will he have a productive cough?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Cassie was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, but I'm glad to hear that she is getting treated with antibiotics. Your idea of trying to feed small amounts at a time may help her, especially if you can try to form the food into little meatballs (if it is wet food). If she normally eats dry food, you can moisten the dry food and form it into little meatball-shaped pieces. This make be easier for her to swallow and cause her to cough less afterwards. That being said, coughing is not a bad thing when dogs have aspiration pneumonia. Coughing means their body is trying to cough up the mucus and phlegm that is down in their airways, and bring it up and out so they can breathe better. Her historical collapsing trachea should not make it difficult for her to swallow fluids, although it may contribute to her coughing. As long as Cassie still has a good appetite, is drinking, and is able to keep fluids and food down (ie not vomiting), she may just require more time to get back to normal. Antibiotics can take several days before we see a clinical response. If she does not improve or you are ever concerned about her coughing or breathing, I recommend having her seen by your veterinarian, as a different therapy may be needed. I hope this is helpful - wishing you the best with Cassie!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While antibiotics can cause vomiting and nausea, a cough can definitely be due to aspiration pneumonia. However, other conditions unrelated to possible aspiration such as heart disease, infectious pneumonia, or heart worm infection can cause coughing as well and may just be a coincidence. If you are concerned about Chester’s cough, I recommend having him seen by his vet to rule out the conditions above. They can perform bloodwork and x-rays to make a diagnosis and begin the appropriate treatment. I hope this helps and that all is well with Chester!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is possible that Buddy has residual bronchitis, which sometimes will not go away in older dogs. Treatment for bronchitis is steroid therapy and cough suppressants typically. I also recommend using a humidifier in the room with Buddy as often as possible. Also, I would consider having chest x-rays taken of Buddy to help better determine what the cause of the coughing could be so that the most appropriate treatment can be recommended. There may not be infection present anymore but inflammation or another cause. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be happy to help you further.

This presentation associated with pneumonia is quite concerning as it could be the result of an aspiration pneumonia. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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!

I'm sorry Meatball (I love his name!) is so sick at the moment! The best thing you can do is follow the vet's instructions and give his medication as needed. Continue to monitor him closely, and if you notice that he is in respiratory distress (having trouble breathing), develops a high fever (above 103F), decreased appetite, and/or severe lethargy, take him into a vet immediately. Hopefully he recovers well, good luck!

Hello there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Ebony still has a respiratory infection, it is going to be even more difficult on her body because of her narrow nostrils, which may explain the difficulty breathing. This breed will typically have a hard time when dealing with a respiratory infection because they are unable to move air through their nostrils efficiently. I would recommend taking her in to be seen by a veterinarian and have chest x-rays performed to see if there are any abnormalities that need to be addressed or more infection that requires further antibiotic therapy. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!