Difficult breathing when vomiting

Question
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Followup To
Question -
My bulldog Tubby has vomited at least once every couple of weeks since he was a pup. He is now 5 yrs old and still struggles with this from time to time. However, the last couple of times, he has actually fallen over, urinated uncontrollably and appeared to be choking. After the episodes, he has caught his breath and gets right up as if nothing ever happened. My local vet felt that Tubby had an upper resiratory infection and placed him on Baytril 68 twice a day. We have been giving him that for a week now. Yesterday, with our vet's advice, we cut the medication back to once per day because it made Tubby so "droopy and Lazy." Anyway, I'm really concerened about this. My vet says that I should go back to Baytril 2x per day but I can't help but think that there is something more to this. I would love to take him to a Bulldog specialist however I don't know of one in the Los Angeles area. My vet says I need to make a choice of weather to go after this "aggressively" or continue with the Baytril for a little while longer. I guess there are risks involved to sedating a bulldog. Can you please provide me with some insight. I really don't know what to do here. My biggest fear is that Tubby does this again only he doesn't catch his breath. Thank you for your help. FYI Tubby is 5 yrs and 2 months old and weighs 70 lbs.
Answer -
Forgot to add one thing....

Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) can cause consulsive activity in some instances.  If Tubby is not getting the oxygen his body needs when he begins hacking and vomiting, then that could (theoretically) cause the seizure-like activity.  I have seen this in humans, and the same principle would apply to other animals, as well.

Hi Sergio,

You are indeed justified for worrying about sedating Tubby.  Bulldogs are very sensitive to anesthesia, and a vet experienced with bulldogs would be best.  However, these vets are not too common, and very expensive.  I would try to contact your local kennel club and see if they can offer any suggestions as to what vets their members use for that breed.  Also, you might even try calling a reputable breeder in the area and ask them what vet they use.  Most reputable breeders will not mind a call from a concerned bully owner.

I am not sure what the "aggressive" treatment that your vet may be talking about, but I would venture to say that if he/she feels that the problem is an infection, then the vet may want to have an intraveneous line established with potent antibiotics running through.  This would typically require at least an overnight stay at the clinic.

Now, I will say that with the exception of the mention of a postictal state, what you described as "actually fallen over, urinated uncontrollably and appeared to be choking" actually sounds a lot like seizure activity.  "Postictal" is the period just after a seizure where the victim is typically dazed and lethargic, though it doesn't happen to all victims of seizures.

The last thing that I can suggest is to take Tubby to a second vet for a second opinion.  This could help, even if the second vet isn't a bully expert.  He/she might discover something that the other vet didn't, or suggest a different antibiotic instead of the Baytril to see if it is more effective.

I am not sure if this is what you were looking for, but I hope that it helps.

Good luck,
Stephen


I'm sorry I keep bugging you but one last question. After a week of the Baytril, Tubby does still seem to be congested. This morning he coughed up a yellowish mucas. He also appears to be a bit "nasally" with a runny nose. Does the Baytril typically take this long to have an effect or are there any other oral medications you know of that I can ask my vet about. I'm not to sure about an IV drug since my dog tends to be a bit aggressive at the vet. They would probably have to sedate him.

thanks again

Answer
Assuming that the pneumonia is bacterial, then I believe that the Baytril should help.  How long it takes, though, I'm not sure.  There are other antibiotics that can be given orally, but I am not sure how they would compare to the Baytril.

I still believe that if it has progressed too long, or is bad, then the pneumonia will require a more powerful antibiotic.  Unfortunately, since I am not a vet, I can only speculate based on experiences that I am familiar with.  For as much as we don't want Tubby sedated, we have to look at the possible outcomes if the oral ATB therapy does not work.  Pneumonia, if it progresses, can be fatal, so if your only option is to sedate, then the pro's of sedation far outway the con's in my opinion.

I again wish you the best of luck with Tubby.

Stephen