My 6 month old puppy has pneumonia

WheatieInNOLA · 11-20-2007, 02:54 PM

I love my little guy and I am so troubled right now. He's had kennel cough for close to 3 weeks now, and I've been diligent and brought him to his vet twice as well as an after-hours hospital for treatment. He had been coughing, but had always maintained a hearty appetite and the great, playful spirit that I love so much.

He had been on Temaril to control his cough, as well as antiobiotics for the duration. I thought he was doing well and so Monday morning when his last Temaril wore off I was optimistic that he'd be relatively cough-free and over his kennel cough.

Much to my dismay, little Winston's grew worse than ever. He repeatedly vomited food (a first), grew lethargic, and refused to eat as the night turned into morning. This morning I rushed him to a new vet (his usual vet wasn't in until 9) and lo and behold he has a fever. The new vet immediately sensed that his cough was "wet" and that the kennel cough had turned into pneumonia.

This has been confirmed now after x-rays. My little guy is now in the hospital where they hope to get rid of the fever and get his appetite back. Evidently his blood count was "okay" and the vet seems relatively optimistic about his recovery. She assured me I do not deserve to feel guilty.

I have a few questions - as well as a request to keep my Winston in your thoughts and/or prayers... he's my first pet and I love the little guy so freaking much.

My questions are:

1) Should I visit him in the hospital this afternoon, or just wait to call tonight after things there settle down? I love him and want to see him but I feel like I don't want him to get excited or disrupt his recovery.

2) Has anybody else been through this? When I thought he had parvo a few months ago as a new pup I was able to google literally hundreds of stories similar to what I went through. I've had trouble finding any similar stories regarding pnuemonia. Is this just really bad luck for me and Winston?

3) Optimistically speaking, when he comes home tomorrow or Friday, do you have any practical tips for me to help fight this? Vitamin C or anything that the vet wouldn't recommend?

Thanks so much - I really appreciate it. Here's a couple pictures of Winston.

TeddieXRuxpin · 11-20-2007, 05:13 PM

When we brought home Duncan he was 8 weeks old. Not even a week later he was catching every illness under the sun. One of which happened to be pneumonia and we took him to the vet. He was put on two different antibiotics and we had to take him into a steamy shower two to three times a day to break down the build up. A short while later (week or two) he was better and caught something else.

Where did your puppy come from?

Pneumonia is not something you can completey control your dog from getting. There is no reason you should feel guilty; you just have to be there for him when he's feeling bad. Believe me you're not the only owner that has gone through pneumonia. It's very common to catch in both humans and animals.

I wish you and little Winston all of the luck in the world. I'm sure he'll be up and playing very soon.

WheatieInNOLA · 11-20-2007, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeddieXRuxpin

When we brought home Duncan he was 8 weeks old. Not even a week later he was catching every illness under the sun. One of which happened to be pneumonia and we took him to the vet. He was put on two different antibiotics and we had to take him into a steamy shower two to three times a day to break down the build up. A short while later (week or two) he was better and caught something else.

Where did your puppy come from?

Pneumonia is not something you can completey control your dog from getting. There is no reason you should feel guilty; you just have to be there for him when he's feeling bad. Believe me you're not the only owner that has gone through pneumonia. It's very common to catch in both humans and animals.

I wish you and little Winston all of the luck in the world. I'm sure he'll be up and playing very soon.

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement. We got Winston from a breeder that I trust - it was only her second litter and he was perfectly healthy from the get-go. The sire and dame were brought together from across the country and my healthy is a sheer joy and delight to everyone who comes across him. In the 4 months I've spent with Winston I've literally had to answer "oh my god - what kind of dog is that" about 5 times a day (I live in downtown New Orleans so we're constantly around people).

I am trying to stay optimistic about his recovery but I worry because I will be out of town all next week on an unmovable business trip. My girlfriend works full time at a brand new job and can't get back to check on him. I suppose I can bring him back to the hospital for next week, or if he's doing well hire a dog walker to come take him out and check on him twice a day.

Thanks for your well-wishes. Reading of your dog's recovery made me feel better.

P.S. I took your "TeddyRuxpin" name as a good sign. So many people tell us that Winson looks like a Teddy bear. We joke that "Ruxpin" would be the perfect name for a Wheaten terrier. Can you and I be friends?

TeddieXRuxpin · 11-21-2007, 01:49 PM

I'm glad I could bring in a bit more hopes. Since neither of you are able to be with him next week, if you can, I would suggest boarding him at your vet or the one who did most of the care giving. After pneumonia you want to be able to keep a close eye on him as he finishes his recovery. It's just a thought...

That's pretty funny because we came up with the name Teddie Ruxpin when I rescued a Shih Tzu and his name was "Buddy Boy". He looks like a stuffed animal and sometimes not even real so it was so fitting. Although not many people get it or know what a Tedd"y" Ruxpin is.. Either that or they scream out in laughter.

Sure, If you ever need anything feel free to PM me. Take care.

TeddieXRuxpin · 11-23-2007, 07:43 PM

How is your puppy doing? It's Friday so I'm hoping he's out of the doggy hospital and doing much better.