• Senji had the mother of all asthma attacks tonight. He's been sneezing a good bit this spring, due to the pollen. I managed to get a benadryl in him, hidden in cream cheese. And also a prednisone pill in cream cheese. I had the prednisone left from when he was on it for his liver problem. He went to the back bedroom to lie down. He seems to be resting comfortably now.
    What medications are dogs with asthma usually given?


  • You need to consult your Vet


  • He never needed more than the benadryl before for his spring time allergies. I've never seen him this bad. I was just curious how basenjis with asthma are treated. Is there such a thing as a doggie asthma inhaler, or are things usually in pill form?


  • Topper was diagnosed with asthma his last couple of years but only had one bad attack, brought on by cold weather. by the time we got to the emergency vet he had recovered pretty well, but his oxygen level was still very low. He was already on theophylline and lasix for heart/lung issues that were 'normal, ongoing', not 'attack-like' so he stayed on that. The Internist said that inhalers are difficult for dogs, getting them to inhale just as you puff it is almost impossible. One vet had us use a small compressor to give him albuterol treatments, I would just hold it and aim it at his nose. The other option was to put him in a small plastic crate, drape a towel over it and have the atomized medicine fill the 'tent'. Neither really worked very well, and I think the stress outweighed the benefits. We were fortunate that his severe difficulty breathing and wheezing only happened the one time.


  • We are in agreement with Tanza. It would be in your best interest to consult with your Vet.


  • Absolutely, see your vet. I am so glad Senji recovered well, we thought Topper would die before we got to the vet that night. Needs to be correctly diagnosed and treated!


  • Sigh. Arwen has had some wheezing lately.. I was worried about her heart but her vet check 2 mos ago (she goes in every 3 mos for get her teeth cleaned) was fine. Vet said she needed to lose a few pounds but that's her entire life, up a few down a few. She seemed fine then yesterday a bit again. Guess what.. hotter than hell here and car totally yellow. She goes back to vet in a month. I may call and ask if daily antihistamines would be an issue. I hate you are having issues but glad this thread came up because I never thought about asthma in a dog. She will be 10 this year, so not OLD but she has autoimmune problems – nothing surprises me.


  • I don't have a dog with asthma, but I do have a cat with asthma. We have to close the windows and turn on the AC when she starts to get wheezy.
    She gets pred when she is doing badly. We have the option of an inhaler for her, but we haven't gone that direction yet.


  • Please take him to the vet. He may need to have a chest x-ray since the attack was really bad. In OH it has been extremely wet this past week. The yard now has mushrooms growing. My boy Arnie has breathing problems off and on and his chest x-rays have been abnormal at times. He did not have any problems since last Fall and now developed it a few weeks ago when we started getting more rain. My area is supposed to have dry weather for a few days and I hope the yard can dry out.

    Jennifer


  • The vet thinks that it's a combination of the allergies, as well as a new brand of treats that I've been giving him after his walks. I was trying to get him off those chicken jerky treats. He's 16, and the weather really isn't agreeing with him. He seems much better when he's in the house. I just gave him a bath too. So I hope that helped get a lot of the allergens off him.


  • Keeping him cool this summer will help, as extreme temps, hot or cold, can stress the lungs. Glad he is doing better.

Suggested Topics