Between dog respiratory diseases there are the tracheitis, rhinitis and laryngitisas well as the common bronchitis and the much more serious pneumonia. They all affect the areas of the body through which the dog breathes, which can be the bronchi, throat, mucous membranes and trachea.
They can be contracted for various reasons and in different circumstances but all, if caught in time, are easy to cure and leave no consequences. The situation is different when they are neglected, where more or less serious complications occur.
What are dog respiratory diseases?
Respiratory diseases in dogs are related to the systems involved in respirationincluding the nose, trachea and larynx, not forgetting the lungs.
The respiratory system can be subject to various pathologies, more or less serious, which must be kept under control and treated in time. The importance of the respiratory system in dogs also depends on the fact that, having a very small number of sweat glands, respiration ensures not only the entry of oxygen into the body, but also the possibility of decrease body temperature.
Therefore, the pathologies that affect the respiratory tract depend on various external factors and can have various causes, each of which causes a specific disorder.
Canine tracheitis
Among the diseases of the dog’s respiratory tract is tracheitis, a disease that affects the trachea, the area that connects the throat to the lungs, made up of a series of rings made of cartilage, whose inflammation causes difficulty breathing, dry cough and gloomy, especially in the case of strong emotions and breathlessness.
Symptoms of tracheitis
Tracheitis can be more or less intense depending on the extent of the inflammation and can often cause retching that almost never results in actual vomiting. It is immediately recognized by the type of cough it causes in the animal, which is very dark, not at all greasy and quite insistent.
Cause
It can be caused by a virus, a bacterium, a cold snap or sudden changes in temperature and manifests itself almost immediately without long incubation periods.
How to cure tracheitis in dogs
Treating tracheitis in dogs is usually not complicated and resolves within a week if the inflammation is not severe. Even a mild anti-inflammatory administered by the vet and some homemade aerosol sessions can cure tracheitis that is not caused by viruses or bacteria.
In case of contagion in which the culprit is a bacterium, then antibiotic therapy will also be necessary, always subject to a doctor’s prescription, which will be able to fight the cause and prevent the tracheitis from degenerating into something more serious.
Avoid, in case of tracheitis in dogs, environments that are too cold and sudden changes in temperature, especially in winter, where the weather is cold outside while inside the house the radiators heat up and dry the air too much, making walking outdoors and returning home one of the potential and most common causes.
Dog rhinitis
Rhinitis is one of the dog’s respiratory diseases that affects the mucous membrane of the nasal cavities and can be caused by a bacterium, fungi and parasites, trauma, but also by foreign bodies present in the nose or seasonal allergies.
Talk about dog rhinitis acute a chroniclebased on the severity and duration of the inflammation, so it is best never to neglect it to avoid complications.
Symptoms of rhinitis in dogs
It manifests itself with rather recognizable symptoms, such as yellowish mucus from the nose, numerous sneezes and sometimes bleeding from the nasal mucous membranes, all accompanied by abundant tearing of the eyes and sometimes even small ulcers in the nose area.
How to cure rhinitis
Dog rhinitis is treated according to its severity, but above all to the triggering cause. If the rhinitis is bacterial, antibiotic therapy will be necessary, while if it is viral, anti-inflammatories will suffice.
On the contrary, if it is caused by a foreign body, this must absolutely be removed and, in the most difficult cases, a small surgical operation may be required in order to eliminate it.
Only the vet will decide what is right to do, but in any case there is no need to be too alarmed, because most of the time it won’t be a difficult or dangerous operation.
Canine laryngitis
Laryngitis is a disease of the dog’s respiratory tract that involves the larynx. It is usually not serious at all and involves a lowering of the tone since the vocal cords are housed inside the larynx.
Symptoms of laryngitis
The symptomatology is rather generic because it includes a dry, very insistent and annoying cough and a difficulty in swallowing which can cause retching.
Among the most recognizable symptoms are the lowering of the tone of the bark, which becomes weak and hoarse, and a pain to the touch when you palpate the animal’s throat.
Cause
Dog laryngitis is often caused by excessive barking or a cold snap and therefore does not require antibiotic treatment.
Dog laryngitis treatment
Dog laryngitis can be treated with anti-inflammatory therapy, prescribed and administered by the vet.
Then there are natural remedies that can act as an adjunct to traditional treatment, such as dog rose which, based on the size and weight of the dog, can be given to the dog in the form of drops.
In any case, it is advisable to hear the opinion of a homeopathic veterinarian before resorting to do-it-yourself.
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Article reviewed by:
Francesco Reina
Veterinary assistant