Friday, July 26, 2013

On Wheezing - Visiting the Vet

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.

  1. Take with food.
  2. Take 1/2 tablet for four days, twice a day
  3. Then take 1/2 tablet for four days, once a day
  4. 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.

10 comments:

  1. Poor Piranha, hope you are feeling better soon and the tablets do the trick.
    A pool party? You are one lucky Chi!
    Dip Bridge and Elliot x

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  2. Oh no Piranha. We hope the blood stealers find out what is causing it. Take your tablets and get well soon. We send you POTP. At least your pool party can go ahead. Have a fabulous Friday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  3. Poor Piranha...I hope you'll get well soon. I know how not fun sneezing is

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  4. Oh Piranha sorry to hear about your need to take medicine, but cheese is always a wonderful treat. I hope you get lots. Stop by our blog we are doing our 1st Friday Fun Find!

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  5. We were thinking you needed Benadryl
    Benny & Lily

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  6. Sorry to hear you might have allergies, Pirhana. We sure hope those cheese-wrapped tablets work some magic for you. Mmmmmmmmm ... cheese ...

    Feel better, and thanks for visiting our blog (and for your nice comment)!

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  7. So glad your mom took you to the vet PB! Sounds like a minor problem and I hope that Temaril-P will help you. I hope you don't need xrays! I've seen lots of doggies with all kinds of similar problems before. Everyone is different. I've seen some dogs with wheezing that sounds kinda like yours that also had allergies. Some had a collapsing trachea. Others were kind of fat so all that extra fat pushed on their trachea. Don't let your mom worry too much though. You sound like a pretty healthy pup :)

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  8. Oh my!! So glad that it was nothing too serious!! The only reason I like taking medication is because my mom always wraps it up in cheese or peanut butter...YUM! Paws crossed that you get well soon!!

    ~Higgins

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  9. I hope it clears up soon. I usually get cheese with tablets, but I still manage to spit the tablet out sometimes!

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