Understanding Asthma in Dogs
Asthma is very common nowadays both in human beings and animals. Contrary to the popular thought that the illness only affects people, it could actually affect your pets too. In the past years, asthma in dogs has become very common. That coughing, wheezing and overall feeling of shortness of breath can also affect dogs. In fact, there have been some cases of asthma in dogs that eventually led to the dog’s demise.
What Happens When a Dog has Asthma Attacks?
Asthma in dogs is very much like that of asthma in human beings. During asthma attacks, the airway passages of the dogs could inflame and become constricted. Like human beings who are having asthma episodes, violent coughing, some wheezing and shortness of breath also characterize asthma in dogs. If not treated properly, asthma in dogs could lead to respiratory distress and other complications. Medication should be give to the dog to help it recover from the asthma episode.
Asthma in dogs could cause loss of appetite and general lethargy. It is very common for dogs to stop eating and loss weight during an asthma episode. However, the good news is that after the asthma episode has passed, the dog will often regain its appetite and overall good health.
Bronchial Asthma in Dogs
Most people would associate bronchial asthma to dogs as triggers and not as suffers. The thing is, asthma in dogs could actually be caused by allergens. Allergic bronchitis is a type of asthma, which causes the obstruction of the airways when the bronchi or the air passages of the lungs become filled up with mucous during an asthma attack.
Diagnosing Asthma in Dogs
If your dog has been coughing for a while and has not been eating well, it is a good idea to bring your dog to the veterinarian for a check-up. An x-ray of the dog’s chest should be taken to determine if there are no other medical problems in the dog. Coughing and general lethargy could sometimes mean that your dog is suffering from other respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, thus it is always wise to get a chest x-ray to rule out other possibilities.
Can a Dog with Asthma Still Live a Normal Life?
Most dogs that have asthma can still lead an active life. Except for the times when it may suffer asthma attacks, there isn’t really much difference between dogs without asthma and those which do not have asthma in terms of their activities.