Thank You ALL!
The bad news is, the vet said due to his noisy lungs that even after this new course of antibiotics he would have less than 50% chance of survival if he was put under anesthesia for dental work. She was very confident that x rays and blood work would not change that diagnosis or survivability of anesthesia. He does have arthritis as well.
The good news is, his temperature is normal, 101.6 and he has a strong heart. He's still eating and drinking plenty. When we got him he was 4.6 pounds, today, 8 months later he's 5.3 pounds. He didn't seem at all lethargic at the vets. He's not fat, his muscle tone is good.
She recommended a non anesthetic dental cleaning. Essentially, the teeth that are ready to fall out, fall out during the cleaning, is our understanding. Due to his age and condition, extractions are highly discouraged. If we insisted on extractions or anesthesia for our dog, we would have to go to a different vet since they recommend against it. They do not want to hasten his demise. He is old, possibly older than 12.
So, no walks for the next few days, a week, for him. He's scheduled for the non anesthetic dental cleaning, 21 Jan. He is always kept inside except to potty and go for walks. When he has good days, he'll go for a walk. When not such good days, he'll stay at home. Same as it's been for the last 8 months.
We'll just keep him as active and comfortable as possible.
When we got him, I felt that good food coupled with exercise would increase his perkiness. It has helped his stamina and muscle mass/tone, so he has been able to walk further. As to his spunkiness around the house, I think it's helped just a little. He is still as attentive and loving as the day we got him when he is awake. LOL He sleeps a lot more than I. LOL
I'm not asking for any advice on this one... For the most part, he's comfortable. It's just these occasional nasal/bronchial episodes that worry us a bit. The vet has spoken. He's old.