Recognizing and Dealing with Dog Asthma

Your best friend is more similar to you than you may even know, and another case in point of this is the fact that asthma in dogs can be a common development.

Yes, your furry canine buddy can get dog asthma, and many of the causes and triggers are similar to what may cause asthma in humans as well. Treatment is fairly straightforward, but first the asthma must be confirmed and diagnosed, and the root causes must be determined as well.

"Diagnosing Dog Asthma"

You'll certainly notice when your pooch has symptoms that could be from dog asthma. It's the same basic problem as it is in our own bodies, the constriction and inflammation of the bronchial tubes which makes breathing more laborious and difficult. Your dog may be wheezing, coughing, out of breath and fatigued and so forth.

You may also notice gums that start to turn shades of purple or blue, which is a result of the lack of oxygen the dog is receiving because of breathing difficulties. Other symptoms to be on the lookout for could include a falling appetite and interest in eating, because breathing is even more difficult during this, as well as a lack of interest in exercise or playing.

While these symptoms may be easy enough to witness that doesn't necessarily mean that your buddy has canine asthma. There could also be a variety of other factors that cause similar symptoms and problems besides asthma in dogs, and this is particularly true when the onset of the problem is sudden. For example, there could be some kind of physical obstruction of the airways that has limited and hampered the animal's breathing.

Other potential causes for the symptoms besides actual canine asthma could be various forms of respiratory infections, bacterial infections, viruses and the like. These can be treated with antibiotics and other medications and in many cases cause a string of other symptoms besides the breathing issues. Additionally, certain heart conditions, heartworms and other problems can lead to breathing difficulties as a result of either chest compression or airway constriction.

Treatment for Asthma in Dogs

If your pet is experiencing actual dog asthma the good news is that there are many potential courses of corrective action to help improve the condition. You may never be able to solve the problem, as just with humans asthma is a chronic problem that can be controlled but typically not "removed" from the body.

The kind of treatment for asthma in dogs that you end up applying will be dependent on the cause of the dog asthma in question. Dog asthma can be a result of allergies in dogs, other reactions to irritants, physical exertion and so on. With allergen based asthma, you can use various anti-histamine drugs that help to reduce the body's reactions to certain allergic triggers. Typically dog asthma from allergies will flair up worse depending on the season, and can be caused by anything from pollen and ragweed in the air, to dust and dust mites in the home year round.

Dogs can even get asthma after a bout of some intense barking. Just as you might start wheezing if you were shouting or talking loudly or quickly, barking can cause a dog to experience some asthma symptoms as well. Environmental conditions can also worsen this and canine asthma can be caused by more than one symptom at the same time, just as people might experience asthma from both allergies and exercise for instance.

Another treatment option is steroid medications, which reduce inflammation and airway constriction, while strengthening and easing breathing capabilities. There are also bronchodilators which as you might imagine dilate or enlarge the bronchi so as to minimize and prevent constriction, alleviating breathing problems as a result. In the case of severe asthma attacks, a veterinarian may give your dog oxygen to help reinvigorate the system quickly and efficiently.

You might have thought that asthma was a problem that only people had to deal with, but as with many other illnesses and conditions, dogs can experience the same exact thing. Dog asthma is commonplace, but it's also easily spotted and very treatable, making it a condition that can be dealt with easily and without too much hassle or stress.

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