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:P
Lv 4
:P asked in PetsDogs · 9 years ago

Dog can't breathe, can't stand up and falls on his side?

Let me tell you the whole story. A few months back, my dog (13 years old, Smooth Fox Terrier) started coughing. He was completely able to breathe, there were no problems like that, but every 10 minutes or so he'd cough, ending with a hack/retch. We, at the time, were unable to take him to the vet. Then one night, he was laying on his side when he started howling, as he would if we left him alone (as if he were anxious, or something), so I ran over to check on him and he was laying on his side. He was in no pain whatsoever. I propped him up, he coughed once, and then went on his way. Ever since, he has been unable to get up when he lays down on his side. Soon afterwards, he started having some breathing problems. He sounded raspy/crackly when he breathed. When that started happening, we took him to the vet with the help of a family member. He got 3 meds that we started having to give him daily. Baytril tabs, 68mg once a day; Prednisone 20mg, one half tablet for 7 days, one quarter tablet for 7 days and then one quarter tablet every OTHER day for 7 days; and Theophylline 100mg, one tablet twice daily. We continued this for a week and had our scheduled check-up. At this point, he was not improving. His breathing hadn't improved, if not worsened. She said she wanted to give him one more prescription, Furosemide 50mg, one half tablet every 12 hours. He's been taking that for a few days now (probably 3 or 4, I don't remember), and since then- I'm not sure if this is because of the medication- his condition has RAPIDLY gotten worse. He's now unable to stand up and walk, his back legs constantly give out, his eyes are open wide, looking alert but zoned out, sometimes eats and sometimes drinks. He now constantly breathes very heavily, as if he can't catch his breath at all. We have to pick him up to take him outside to pee, and when we bring him back in, if he tries to stand up, he just falls over onto his side again. The cough is long gone, but the breathing problems persist and his condition just seems to be worsening greatly. He has lost weight since this began. I can feel his spine now, but I can't see his ribs.

Update:

I thought I'd add that we're taking him to the vet ASAP tomorrow, but it's 4 am and they're closed right now. We're taking him first thing the morning.

Update 2:

When we took him to the vet, they did a chest x-ray and blood tests. They said all of his organs were working fine. We also don't have a car until first thing this morning because my father works overnight shifts, so we HAVE to wait. But if they aren't open when he gets home, we'll take him wherever we have to. From what they told us (sorry I forgot to include this information), he has something similar to COPD. A lung disease. I'd already assumed the worse- that his heart was failing. I HAVE looked into the cough. But if the vet is right (which I would only assume, though it's never good to assume), all of his organs are working fine. He's getting oxygen. They didn't see cancer, but they said it's impossible to rule it out right now.

Update 3:

It's 5 am and he just passed away... Thank you for your answers but he's okay now.

2 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 6
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    See answer One. Also, he is old, and could have heart problems, as dogs cough when they have a bad heart. Prepare yourself for possible bad news.

    Source(s): Vet assistant.
  • ?
    Lv 6
    9 years ago

    Emergency vets are open 24/7.

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