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After the 2 week treatment of antibiotics, did the vet check to see if your puppy still has pneumonia? You stated that your puppy barely eats or drinks. Did the vet check him for dehdyration? I think it would be best if you bring him back to the vet so they treat him for dehydration.
Regarding the antibiotics, they are both broad spectrum so they can treat a wide range of bacterial infections. Ask your vet to to do a culture and sensitivity test. Once culture and sensitivity results are available, a specific and narrow spectrum antibiotic can then be chosen for ongoing care if the puppy still has pneumonia.
Baytril (Enrofloxacin) and Doxcycline are powerful antibiotics. They should not be given to puppies under less than 8 months of age unless the severity of the infection present warrants it. Giving the puppy Enrofloxacin can cause damage to joint cartilage and teeth. Your vet should have given you a probiotic (basically yogurt with live active cultures), to prevent normal gut flora from being destroyed by the antibiotics. Not giving him probiotic could cause nausea, which could be another reason he isn't eating or drinking.
The nebulizer aids in giving your puppy a productive cough to clear some of the mucous in the airways. Also use a moist air humidifier to help the puppy breathe easier. What I'm worried about is the possibility your dog is dehydrated. More than 90% of the mucus in the respiratory tract is water, so even a mild degree of dehydration leads to drying of the secretions. It is important to try and maintain the secretions as liquid as possible.
You can check for dehdyration by grabbing the skin mid back. If it stays up, your dog is probably dehdyrated. Check the gums. Are they dry? Press on them. If there's an indent that's slow to go away, your dog is most likely dehdyrated.
What you can do at home (without seeing a vet) is to keep your puppy as warm and dry as possible. Get a humidifier, and keep using the home nebulizer. Encourage drinking. Try and see if your dog will drink Pedialyte (an electrolyte replacement drink). You may need to use a needleless syringe to give your puppy the pedialyte. Give the liquid slowly with the syringe. You should give 2-4 ml per pound of body weight per hour. Pull out the corner of the dog's lip to make a "pocket" and gently give him the liquid. Don't raise his nose too much or the liquid may cause the animal to choke.
For food (a few teaspoons of food every 2 or 3 hours), you can give him baby food (chicken and rice based), or make a simple chicken soup (homemade from scratch is best---real chicken, no salt) and try and encourage eating.
Right now, though, treating his dehdyration is best. If you feel like the vet isn't helping, or listening to what you say, please go to a new one. |
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