Symptoms and treatment of pneumonia in dogs

 7:34am, 9 July 2025

Due to the poor current air quality, it is easy to cause respiratory diseases, and dogs are also prone to pneumonia. So what are the causes of pneumonia in dogs, what are the symptoms of pneumonia in dogs, and how to treat pneumonia in dogs?

1. Causes of pneumonia

1. Due to colds, unclean air, poor ventilation, excessive fatigue, and lack of vitamins, respiratory infections and body resistance have been caused, and microorganisms in or outside the respiratory tract (staphylococcus, streptococci, E. coli, Kleberella and mold), after a period of incubation period, the disease occurs, causing the animal to be attacked by viruses.

2. Inhaled irritating gas, soot or accidentally ate foreign objects and entered the lungs, etc.

3. Continuing factors, such as bronchitis, influenza, canine distemper; or parasites, such as pulmonary flukes, toxoplasma gondii, roundworm larvae, etc., can all cause pneumonia.

2. Symptoms of pneumonia in dogs

The disease initially presents symptoms of acute bronchitis, runny nose fluid, dry cough, and bronchial sound. As the condition develops, the systemic condition worsens, the spirit is depressed, the appetite decreases or does not eat, the body temperature rises by 39.54 degrees, showing relaxation and heat, difficulty breathing, the number of times increases, the conjunctiva is cyanoly red, the eyeballs are sunken, and dehydrated.

The lung auscultation, lesion area, alveolar sounds are weakened, crimps can be heard, and sounds can be heard in healthy areas.

Hematologic changes, total number of leukocytes, neutrophils, and nucleus left shift. X-ray examination shows that the lung texture is thickened and there is a flaky shadow.

3. Treatment of pneumonia in dogs

(1) Penicillin is 50,000 units/kg body weight, streptomycin is 30,000 units/kg body weight, dexamethasone is 0.1-0.3 mg/kg body weight, after mixing, intramuscular injection, 2 times/day, for 5-7 days.

(2)tetracycline 10-15 mg/kg body weight, dissolved in 5% glucose, intravenously, 2 times per day. Or Pioneer 56 mg/kg body weight, dexamethasone 0.2 mg/kg body weight, mixed intramuscular injection, 2 times per day.

(3) Supportive therapy, 5% glucose saline 15-30 ml/kg body weight, 5% sodium bicarbonate injection 1-2 ml/kg body weight, mixed intravenous infusion.

(4) Methods: sputum and cough, ammonium chloride 50 mg/kg body weight, 2.5 mg/kg body weight, orally take 2 times per day. To prevent asthma, 10-15 mg/kg of body weight can be used, and 2 times per day.

(5) When dyspnea is difficult and heart failure, ephedrine is taken orally. 5-15 mg each time. Aminophylline, 10 mg per kg body weight, overcome or intravenously every 8 hours. For hypoxia caused by dyspnea, oxygen should be inhaled. For those with anorexia, intravenous injections are given to supplement body fluids and nutrition.