Our dog who is almost 15 recently started treatment for CT. We started with 2-3 times a day Hycodan and did not find that it caused any drowsiness or problem with appetite. We also added Temiril P twice a day and that worked very well. Then he got pneumonia. Since his cough worsened, we were going to add a bronchodilator (considered the one your dog is on) but that was when we figured out he had pneumonia. My vets who are specialists in internal medicine and cardiology have told me that it is a matter of finding the right "cocktail" for each dog. Our dog is off all but hycodan twice a day now. I see you're in NY and probably have a similar climate to us here in New England. I've found that sleeping with the air conditioner on and a cool most humidifier on a medium setting (I have the Crane brand humidifier from Target) has really helped Barney. Other medicines we considered were steroid inhaled bronchodilator (Flovent), low doses of prednisone, or inhaled albuterol. I would make sure your dog has a three view thoracic X-ray done to rule out pneumonia if this has not been done (standard thoracic X-rays are two view). I would ask if you can get a radiology read on it. Our dog had a very mild scatter of pneumonia, his lungs sounded clear to specialists so it was really surprising but an easy fix. Also, I've elevated Barney's bowls and this takes stress off the trachea for him.
Good luck, I hope you find a good mix for him. |