My dog has breathing problems, wheezing and coughing up flem

Westie has breathing problems/wheezing/coughing up flem/legthargy...can't play of even walk fast. My White West Highland Terrier is a female 6 years old. Wheezing/choking and then coughing up flem with any exercise. We have her on a no wheat dog food She is a little overweight so I have cut back her food to see if that helps her breathing. She breathes very HARD, and through her mouth, is always thirsty since she is panting all the time The local vet did the following Xrays were taken showing no tumor She was put on two meds Prescnisone 5mg 2 tabs 2x's daily Amphyllne 200 Mg 1/2 tab

  • Vetinfo

    By: Shawn Haubenstricker El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 05/11/2011

    There are many possibilities for your Westie's problems. First, I would like to address the fact that she is overweight.  As you stated, you are trying to get her weight down, I would recommend you have your veterinarian fill out a calorie chart for her.  This will take her current weight, pin point her optimum weight, and then calculate the exact amount of calories you will need to feed her to achieve weight loss. There is a syndrome called Pickwickian syndrome, that is caused by excessive fat around your dog's chest and abdomen, that makes it difficult to breathe, makes the heart work harder, increases blood pressure, and any type of activity will make the symptoms much more obvious. Regardless if this is the cause of her problem, achieving her optimum weight will make her live a longer, happier and healthier life.

    You had stated that there were no tumors in her chest on the x-ray, but was there fluid in her lungs? Did her lungs appear normal? I would assume that from the medications she was put on, that your veterinarian is treating her for asthma or bronchitis.  This would typically show up on an x-ray film, and knowing the exact diagnosis would help in recommending additional treatment options. If she is not responding at all to the medications, it may be possible that she has pneumonia, which would require antibiotic treatment.

    I would also recommend having her heart evaluated.  Dogs that have heart conditions will frequently show exercise intolerance, pant excessively, have a chronic cough, and have little or no energy. An ECG and/or echocardiogram would be recommended to rule out underlying heart disease.

    Has she always drank alot of water, or is this only after being prescribed the medication?  Both Prednisone and Aminophylline will cause a dog to have excessive thirst. If her excessive thirst started before the medication, that may be an indicator of another disease process that has not been identified yet.  A full blood chemistry panel would be excellent information.  You need to know how her liver, and kidneys are functioning. Excessive thirst and urination can be indicators of kidney disease, and also diabetes. Excessive panting in conjunction with excessive thirst, thinning hair coat, and a pot-bellied appearance are symptoms of Cushing's disease. A current heartworm test would also be on the rule out list. All of this information is needed for the veterinarian to make an accurate diagnosis and therefore an accurate treatment plan.

    If all of these recommendations have been performed, and the final diagnosis is asthma/bronchitis, you could consider using Terbutaline instead of Aminophylline. This may decrease the side effect of excessive thirst.  Terbutaline is another bronchodilator that can be used instead of Aminophylline.

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