[quote=Princes mom;3280185]
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachdog  I would like to see the info about Lomotil also. Is that otc? My paris has Ct also ans sometimes coughs but he doesn't have the honking cough. Just the cough, choke gag sound and snoring when asleep. He is currently on hycodan. but I would like to try something else otc.[/
I asked my vet about it again, but he wasn't familiar with it being used for CT. I told him that the studies can be found in Kirk's Vet Therapy XII book, and that it is controversial (according to some articles I read online) and in the experimental stage, but a lot of people are having a lot of success with it. LadyJane was the first person to tell me about it, and she is really happy with it for her babies. |
I am not sure that is the correct volume of Kirk's. Some of them do not have it. I had posted a link with that book to show the book itself. We looked through about 5 volumes one day until we found it so I could copy it.
I only used Lomotil on one pup. He was acutely ill and we needed to do something different. That is why the Lomotil was tried on him. Yes, it may be controversial in that some may not get good results. No medicine is going to work for all pups all of the time. I can only tell you that it did help my foster...and also helped a friend's yorkie who had a terrible case of CT. Her husband is a vet and he also had not heard of it, but he has now.
Both pups have since passed, but the Lomotil helped both of them for a period of time.
My vet stays very current on all treatments and does a lot of researching. She also does rounds bi weekly with the specialists in this area who also give her the newest and latest treatments for various illnesses and conditions.
What I can tell you is that we were grasping at straws for little Ozzy. His CT was awful. He coughed almost continuously. He did not often need oxygen, but did at times; and we needed to find a way to try to reduce that awful cough. We tried many, many different medications. (and of course other things such as weight management and cool dry temperatures) and Lomotil was finally introduced and I did see a dramatic improvement for a period of time. Sadly, after about six months of him really going bad, he passed away on Christmas eve 2009. I was heartbroken and still have terrible moments when I think of him. I honestly hope to never have another CT pup in my home. He was my third.
Below is taken from Kirk's Veterinary Therapy:
Antitussive Agents: Cough suppressants are recommended to reduce chronic irritation or damage to the epithelium caused by collaps of the dorsal membrane and to reduce shearing forsces within the lung associated with chronic coughing. A variety of drugs are available, but the authors have had greatest success using co-phenotrope (Lomotil, Searle), which contains diphenoxylate hudrochloride and atropine.* The diphenoxylate acts as a narcotic antitussive agent and the atropine reduces the volume of mucus secreted into the lower repiratory tract and also acts as an antimuscarinic bronchodilator. *Co-phenotrope is not in widespread use as an antitussive agent in the US, and no clinical trials demonstrating efficacy and safety for this indication have been published. The potential adverse effects of atropine on the viscosity of airway secretions warrant further investigation before its widespread application.