What is pneumonia and what causes it to appear in dogs?
As in humans, pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs. The main culprits of pneumonia in dogs are bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. This is called pneumonia of infectious origin.
Dogs most likely to develop this type of pneumonia are dogs with pre-existing lung conditions, dogs with weakened immune systems (due to viral illness, corticosteroid therapy, Cushing's disease, diabetes mellitus etc.) or dogs that live in an infected environment.
But, in dogs, there is also aspiration pneumonia which occurs when a dog regurgitates or vomits. The digestive contents, present in its mouth or its stomach, is then inhaled by the respiratory tract so that the bacteria present in the aspirated liquid come to colonize the respiratory tract.
Certain conditions favor the occurrence of aspiration pneumonia. This is particularly the case of dogs suffering from megaesophagus in which regurgitation is frequent, of those which suffer from laryngeal paralysis, of those which have undergone anesthesia or strong sedation or even animals which have been fed with a nasopharyngeal tube.
Pneumonia can also occur following the inhalation of products that are toxic and irritating to the dog's respiratory system, which promotes subsequent colonization by bacteria.
How does pneumonia manifest in dogs?
In dogs, pneumonia is manifested by:
- cough,
- fever,
- difficulty breathing (dyspnea),
- anorexia,
- a muco-purulent nasal discharge,
- signs of dehydration,
- significant weight loss in case of chronic pneumonia.
What treatment for pneumonia?
The noise of the dog's breath suffering from pneumonia as well as its fever, very characteristic of pulmonary discomfort, will allow the practitioner to detect the disease quite easily. To make sure he makes the right diagnosis, he will take an X-ray that will show an opacity in the lung. He may also have recourse to additional examinations such as a stool analysis to look for possible parasites and/or blood tests.
Sometimes the condition of the animal justifies hospitalization during which the veterinarian can correct the dehydration of the animal and promote the evacuation of secretions by aerosol therapy. Animals in respiratory distress will be placed on oxygen therapy.
The treatment that the veterinarian will prescribe for the animal will then depend on the causative agent of the pneumonia. These will be antibiotics in the case of pneumonia of bacterial and viral origin (to prevent bacterial superinfection), antiparasitics in the case of pneumonia of parasitic origin and antifungals in the case of pneumonia caused by fungi.