Understanding Asthma in Dogs
The relevance of asthma in dogs can be understood better knowing the fact that asthma is more common today in both humans and animals. Though the popular belief is that asthma only affects humans in reality it can affect our pets too. Dogs are the most popular pets and recently asthma in dogs has become more common. Symptoms like lack of breath, coughing and wheezing can also be seen in dogs. In some cases of asthma in dogs may lead to death of the animal. What Happens When a Dog has Asthma Attacks? Asthma in human beings and asthma in dogs have great similarities. The airway passages become constricted and could get inflammed in most cases of asthma in dogs. Just like in human cases asthma in dogs is charecterized by lack of breath, wheezing and violent coughing during asthma episodes. Complications like respiratory distress can occur if asthma in dogs is not treated properly and in time.the dog should be administered with medication to get relief from the asthma attack. General lethargy and loss of apetite are common indicators of asthma in dogs. During asthma episodes its common for dogs to avoid eating and lose some weight. But soon after the the dog recovers from the asthma episode the apetite is regained and the health improves very well. Bronchial Asthma in Dogs Bronchial asthma is falsely believed to be a trigger rather than an ailment in dogs. The truth though is that asthma in dogs can be initiated by allergens. Allergic bronchitis causes blockage of airways due to filling up of mucus in the bronchi and air passages in the lungs during an asthma attack. Thus allergic bronchitis is also a kind of asthma Diagnosing Asthma in Dogs It makes sense to take your pet dog to the veterinarian for examination if it is not eating properly and has been coughing for some days. To determine if there is any alternate medical problem in the dog an X-ray of its chest should be taken. Respiratory ailments, other than asthma, like pneumonia can cause general lethargy and coughs in your pet dog. This makes it a wise decision to get an X-ray of the dogs chest to rule out alternate respiratory ailments. Can a Dog with Asthma Still Live a Normal Life? One cannot really notice any difference between a dog with asthma and one without asthma as far as their activities is concerned, except for when the dog has an asthma episode. Most dogs with asthma have an active life. Asthma in dogs can be controlled with proper care and veterinarians help.
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