Elderly Dog- bronchitis

Question
Hi, my Golden Retriever mix, Lucky, who is about twelve years old, was diagnosed last year with a form of cancer (lymphosarcoma). We went through chemo treatments with him and changed his diet and now he is in complete clinical remission. Recently, he developed a bad cough, so we took him to our local veterinarian. He was diagnosed with bronchitis and prescribed an antibiotic but the vet said that the bronchitis would clear up in the same amount of time with or without the medication (a statement that makes little sense to me). So, we tried giving him the antibiotic but it made him violently sick, heaving and vomiting (as many antibiotics do). So, we decided against giving it to him again. He still has the bad cough and, no doubt, a very soar throat. We have been giving him homemade chicken soup but he is beginning to want not even that. Do you have any suggestions for treatments (holistic or otherwise) that may help or even comfort him, for bronchitis or perhaps a cold of any kind. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you,
Stephanie Kinney

Answer
Hi Stephanie!

I'm sorry, but I really don't have any ideas for treatment.  What I'm concerned about, are you sure it is bronchitis?  Coughing can also be a sign of heart disease, a collapsing trachea, and/or heartworms. I'm not trying to scare you, but if the anitbiotics aren't working, I think I would take him for another opinion.  

God Bless,
Becky