Coughing up phlegm?

[fastmatt613]

Sending prayers for Baxter! Keep us posted!

 

[nycbullymama]

Poor little guy, I feel terrible for him.

I agree with everyone else, get him to another Vet as soon as possible. Even if it's not serious now, they need to give him something so it doesn't become a pneumonia.

 

[Texas Carol]

Ineffective vets make me grit my teeth, clearly SOMETHING is brewing
with Baxter. Checking in on this thread and praying you find a intelligent
vet, get a dx and correct meds and Baxter feels better asap & recovers
completely. Cami & I send love...GOD bless!

 

[Jennifer Clark]

Just checking in to see if we know anything yet....

sent from my Droid RAZR with love!

 

[Samantha Orts]

Poor Baxter, I do hope it turns out to be nothing though! When June had a cough at about 10-11 weeks old our vet told us it was nothing serious but being first time dog owners period, we were so worried we took her to the ER vet 2 days later and did the x-rays and everything and it was still nothing serious. Better to be safe than sorry And go figure she was perfectly fine the next day. These guys worry us so much!

 

[s5nelson]

Ugh poor Baxter! I really do hope that you find out what's wrong. It definitely sounds like something is up!

 

[MARY BARNES]

HI,I was told to give them a tsp of real lemon juice to cut phlem ,,I never tried it ..
but i would still see the vet.. hope you get better baxter...

 

[Davidh]

I hope the vet can get it figured out and get him well.

 

[Texas Carol]

For the first time, he's also physically looking absolutely miserable. He just looks at me like he's struggling. And he's very weak. I fear he's getting dehydrated from all the fluids coming up, but how do you get water into a dog that doesn't feel like drinking? Not sure if I should bring him to an emergency veterinarian, and just end up with another random guess like most vets seem to specialize in...[/QUOTE]

Try syringing water into his mouth, maybe Piedalyte, watered down broth
and certainly add extra water or broth to his food. Keep us informed!

 

[Baxter Tiberius]

Okay so here's the situation.

Everywhere I read, coughing for 2-3 months after Kennel Cough is textbook "Chronic Bronchitis". The treatment for it is anti-inflammatories to calm the cough. If you don't calm the cough, it creates scar tissue. Scar tissue leads to more coughing, more scar tissue, and ultimately cardiovascular disease. The goal is to stop the cough, and creation of new scar tissue.

But what if he has an infection still?

Doctors unfortunately believe antibiotics are the answer for everything. So the doctor told me to put him on Doxycycline again. She even offered a second antibiotic. When I asked her why she thinks this is an infection when there are zero signs of infection, she shrugged her shoulders. Baxter has no signs of infection:

1) White blood cell count is normal.
2) His phlegm coming up is clear.
3) His temperature is normal.
4) And his behavior (until this morning) was fine.

Yet this cough and hacking has persisted for 3 months. Again, textbook Chronic Bronchitis. But how do you tell a doctor that, when you're not a doctor?

So we had a long, uncomfortable conversation. She politely refrained from telling me not to tell her how to do her job. I politely refrained from telling her that she needs help doing her job. But you could see it on our faces. She did offer to do the phlegm culture. Its going to cost $210, and it has to be physically extracted from his lungs, which is not going to be a pretty process at all. She also offered (after I wouldn't shut up) to prescribe him some corticosteroids. But she made it very clear (and she's correct) that if he has an infection, the steroids will cause it to get much much worse, as there will be no immune system to fight it.

She did an X Ray of his lungs, but said something about his spine getting int he way, so no matter how she positioned him, she couldn't get a clear picture of his lungs. I have no idea how a spine can block a lung X ray. She told me the X ray showed that his trachea was expanded open at the front and back ends, but in the middle, it compresses very small. So she wants a radiologist to look at that. Waiting to hear from her on that.

So here I am with Baxter back at home. Snot pouring out his nose as he hacks phlegm on the floor, and absolutely no idea how to proceed. If the documents I read are correct:

1) 2-3 months of coughing *after* getting Kennel Cough
2) normal white blood cell count
3) no fever whatsoever
4) clear phlegm (as opposed to green or yellow)

Then no infection. Chronic Bronchitis.

But if I give him steroids, and this is a virus or bacteria, it could take over and ruin him.

I don't know how to proceed....

 

[nycbullymama]

Dude seriously, I would not put him on steroids just based off of what you've read. Why not wait until the culture's done? Meanwhile, is there anything she can recommend, or prescribe to help with the phlegm?

 

[ddnene]

Oh Kevin, this is horrible…
You always do your homework, and then to have to argue w/the vet!!! So ridiculous… was allergies ever mentioned? I know that clear discharge from the nose is a sign…

 

[brutus77]

Oh boy, Maybe a second opinion? I'm not sure I like the sound of this vet. Why does she think a shoulder shrug is an acceptable answer to a great question??? To me she just does not seem to care about actually diagnosing and treating him. I can say that to many doctors an educated patient is not what they want to deal with. I have found with my many health issues that if I question the doctor, the relationship goes downhill. I'm sorry If we have any doctors here and I certainly don't mean to generalize but this happens all the time. I would certainly seek another opinion soon.

 

[mer55]

Oh boy, Maybe a second opinion? I'm not sure I like the sound of this vet. Why does she think a shoulder shrug is an acceptable answer to a great question??? To me she just does not seem to care about actually diagnosing and treating him. I can say that to many doctors an educated patient is not what they want to deal with. I have found with my many health issues that if I question the doctor, the relationship goes downhill. I'm sorry If we have any doctors here and I certainly don't mean to generalize but this happens all the time. I would certainly seek another opinion soon.

I second another opinion. I do agree with the lack of evidence that it an infection, but humans are put on steroids and antibiotics all the time when it is an infection- is this different in dogs? A short term course of steroids will not destroy his immune system. I would opt for a second opinion - just saying. Lots of prayers coming your way. Baxter just looks so sad!

 

[brutus77]

Here's the thing, While this vet is waiting around trying to decide what to do, Poor Baxter is suffering and Kevin is at a loss to help him. How long did she say until the culture is back? It's the in the meantime that is getting to me. I'm getting really angry and it isn't even my dog!!!