Rescue dog with wheezy chest

Dinky22

Hi. I have a little Jack Russell/terrier type dog. She has had a very tragic background but now she has a wonderful Forever Home with me. Trouble is I have had to take her to the Vet twice for ops. Once for a chicken bone that got stuck in her mouth (somebody much have thrown it over the wall) and secondly to have some teeth pulled. She has been absolutely terrified of the Vets and I am hoping I can get some advice without having to take her again. She has a wheezy chest. I wonder is there something that I could give her without the stress of a Vets visit?. The Vet says she is approx. 9 years old. She is not distressed in any way. Many thanks.

Wisco

Nope, I'd definitely go to the vet. Could be something minor, but it's safer to assume that any respiratory problem is a serious one as even a minor problem could turn into a serious one, and as she dislikes the vets, I'd want to avoid any hospitalisations.

stuartthevet

Hear hear, terriers are prone to a number of chronic respiratory ailments, all of which can irreversibly worsen without early diagnosis and treatment.

belongtojazz

You need to speak to your vet and let them make the call about whether they need to see your dog. They are the professionals and the only ones who can make that call for you.

To work on the fear I would recommend asking the vet nurse for help. If you can bring your dog down for regular visits where nothing bad happens eventually the fear should ease. Just arrange to bring the dog in regularly purely to get a treat or some attention from the staff. Once the dog learns that there is a positive side to the vets the fear should ease. It will take time though.

Is your dog overweight at all? When I moved in with my dad last summer one of his terriers had a chronic wheeze, she's about 10/11 and was very overweight. I got her checked by the vet who said to monitor it but once I got her weight down the wheeze pretty much disappeared

Dinky22

Thank you Wisco. Thank you Stuartthevet. Thank you Belongtojazz. No she is 6.2kg which the vet said on last her visit was very good. I brought her along to vet but she got so distressed in the waiting room that I had to leave. She is a terribly mentally disturbed little dog so it will take a little time. She spends every second with me and never leaves me out of her sight. I wonder what the vet can do for a respiratory infection?. I know I take an inhaler sometimes but I don't know what a vet would do

andreac

They can give medication to treat the cough/wheeziness.

Wisco

But they have to know the underlying cause to provide treatment. Perhaps you could try for an appointment when it's not busy and you don't have to wait so your dog doesn't get too stressed? Or maybe there's an extra consultation room or quiet area where you could arrange to wait if you have to? Most of the time the nurses/reception staff would be able to help accommodate you in that sort of situation.
My advice is to persevere and see a vet before this becomes a severe problem. I think you'll avoid more trouble in the long run if you get treatment sorted out sooner rather than later.

belongtojazz

How is she outside the vets? I ask as my last vet would come out to the car to check dogs occasionally. Would that be a possibility? At least then your vet would be able to listen to your dogs chest.
It really sounds like your dog needs to be checked over but distressing her to do that is not ideal.

Would it be possible for you to get professional help with her fears? I had someone out last week to help me with some issues my Springer has and while it wasn't cheap I can see the benefit already.

EGAR

At this age I would be slightly worried about heart problems which can cause water in the lungs. I would have her checked by a vet ASAP, especially if there is no nasal etc discharge.

Dinky22

Hi, Wisco. Thank you very much for your concern. I will certainly have the vet see my little dog.

Hi, belongtojazz. Thank you very much for your suggestion about the vet. In fact I will ring and ask if he will call to the house - that might sort the problem. As regards her mental state. She has improved so much since I got her from her terrible ordeal. She knows she is now in her Forever Home. She gives me complete trust and love and she is improving day by day.

Hi Egar. Thank you very much. I will ring the vet to-morrow and hope that he will come out to the house.

belongtojazz

Hi dinky22 just wondered if there was any update?

Dinky22

Hi belongtojazz. The vet came out to the house after a bit of a delay. He felt that I was, perhaps, exercising her too much. Due to her not sleeping during the night and waking me up several times during the night I started to take her out in fields where she could run for 1.20mins off the lead. She seemed to love this. He gave my little dog a very thorough physical examination. He started her on a trial of antihistamines. He also gave a 5 day course of steroids by mouth. He will visit her again after Easter. Thank you belongtojazz for your enquiry. She has improved greatly and I take her for shorter walks now.