Asthma in Dogs
Introduction: Asthma is such a disease that can affect even pets like dogs and cats. Asthma generally blocks the airways when the air passages in the lungs known as bronchi gets filled up with mucus and go into the spasms or bronchi constriction. These symptoms are rather commonly found in pets like dogs and cats all over the world. However, asthma is more commonly noticed in the Siamese and the Himalayan breeds of cats or dogs.
Asthma Symptoms in Dogs: As per the medical sciences, though dogs and cats of any age may get the asthma, but the dogs and cats in their tender or younger age as well as the middle age get asthma more easily. The initial symptoms of asthma in dogs and cats are coughing, wheezing and in some cases even respiratory discomfort is found resulting in the open mouth breathing and purple gums and tongue. Such condition are generally warns the emergency. In some cases, dogs or pets may turn lethargic and stop even eating, which may result in drastic weight loss too. However, between such episodes, the dogs or pets are generally normal. The second hand smoke, litter dust, air pollution as well as some specific fragrances may trigger the asthma in dogs or pets.
Treatments for Asthma in Dogs: For diagnosing the Asthma in Dogs, it is required to perform the X-ray of its chest besides performing certain additional tests for ruling out any other respiratory problems. Such tests may include heartworm tests, blood counts, chemistries and bronchial lavage. Once the diagnoses of an allergic bronchitis is done, the treatment mostly consisting of steroids, antihistamines, bronchodilators, and sometimes even antibiotics or combination of such drugs is to be prescribed. Also in some of the extreme conditions, the oxygen therapy is required to be administered. The predictions for controlling the asthma is excellent, with most of the dogs or pets living normal and trouble free lives with the help of some life-long medication treatments. The total cure is however, doubtful unless an original cause is determined during the diagnoses. In the circumstances, only the veterinary specialist can help determining the exact cause of Asthma in Dogs and the treatment therapy that is the most suitable to the dogs or the pets.
Some necessary precautionary measures for children: In most of the homes it has been seen that the young children are more acquainted with the Dogs and pets. As per the studies conducted in this sphere, reveals that the children with asthma living in homes with dogs may show more severe respiratory symptoms than kids with cats or other pets. The children living with dogs at home have reported substantially more cough, phlegm production and bronchitis response to measured pollutants, as reported by the research teams of Environmental Health Perspectives. The Professor of preventive medicines at the University of Southern California, Dr. Rob McConnell, along with his colleagues found the enhanced response perhaps because of higher levels of endotoxins that is rather common in homes having pet Dogs. These endotoxins is a part of the cell wall of the bacteria and when they enter into the lungs through inhaling, develops the inflammatory response in the lungs causing the airways to constrict in persons suffering from asthma.