A few days ago I had been sleeping and my Momma noticed I had a little wheeze with my sleep. I normally don't wheeze and even when turning and shifting on the bed, I would make slight noises (something I don't normally do). There was also once or twice during which my Momma noticed I had a slight nasal drip - but she wasn't sure it was anything until the wheezing thing. The wheezing is not like a reverse cough at all - it is a whistle-like type of noise that sounds while one is breathing - most noticeable in a rested state. Trouble started for me when she Googled wheezing and WebMD and PetMD and all sorts of other sites indicated this could be serious, bronchitis (which I had a year ago), lung problems, tumors or congestive heart failure. Great.
So we went to see the vet. The vet checked my gums - they were nice, pink and healthy.
Was I eating and drinking normally? Yes.
Was I coughing and sneezing? No.
Was I playing and acting normally? Yes.
Was I showing any other signs of distress? No.
Have I recently been exposed to a dog daycare center or several other animals? No. But I was with the play group not too long ago..., no, the vet said, it would have show up sooner - kennel cough can appear in a dog after a week and I was not coughing.
Other than my drippy nose, a little more watery eyes (usually my eyes are clear, no discharge), and the wheezing noises, I was acting normally. Hmmm...the Vet listened to my lungs quietly for a good length of time. She said that because there was no coughing, or sneezing there appeared to be something more allergy related to pollen and perhaps a little congestion from the allergy.
She took my temperature, which came out normal. She then prescribed Temaril-P and indicated if it did not get better after finishing the medication, she would look deeper into the problem and do some x-rays. I am supposed to have a chihuahua pool party this weekend and was a little worried that I might be contagious. But she assured me that this appeared to be allergy related and not contagious. Whew! In any case, my Momma is hoping that my wheezing will go away so that we can rest assured it is nothing more serious and I don't have to go back and go through the whole x-ray thing.
My Momma has set up a schedule on an Excel file so she can keep track of when I am supposed to take what and when to taper off. These pills are very specific.
- Take with food.
- Take 1/2 tablet for four days, twice a day
- Then take 1/2 tablet for four days, once a day
- Then take 1/2 a tablet every other day until gone
Lucky for me she's wrapping those nasty tablets in cheese! Works for me - WOOF!
I am wondering if any other doggie like me out there has ever had wheezing, and what their results have been. Please comment or post your thoughts. Thanks.
