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Expert: - 6/5/2011


Question
QUESTION: I have two MinPins, both with chronic bronchitis.  Prince is being treated with Prednisone pills, for one.  Dutchess has diabetes and I'm told she can't take Prednisone pills.  What is the alternative?

ANSWER: I am surprised that two dogs from the same household have the same disease. How did the vet say that happened?

There are no alternatives to using steroids, but there are other drugs, such as bronchial dilators, like Aminophylline. Steroids remove the inflammation, however, so they are pretty crucial to relieving the symptoms. A small amount of pred

You can also use inhalers for dogs and/or give breathing treatments to them.
If you can remove the source of what is causing the bronchitis that would also help tremendously.

While it is true that dogs shouldn't take pred while being diabetic a small, short dosage won't affect them too badly and could help knock down the inflammation in her lungs. Her insulin will be harder to control however.





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The local vet and the vet at the Veterinary Specialty Clinic of Tucson both said it's common in smaller dogs.  I don't know what the cause might be other than perhaps exposure to a great deal of cigarette smoke more than three years ago for a period of probably six years.  And we've had a lot of smoke in the air from wildfires.

Answer
While it is more common in small dogs, we normally see it in dogs from smoking households. We have a lot of wildfires here in the Sierras as well but the rate of bronchitis is not very high in dogs.

People here, however, have a lot of asthma and bronchitis!  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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