Puppy has fluid in chest sounds like flem & runny nose

by Nina
(Lake Ronkonkoma, NY)

He is other wise energetic, eating and drinking.

Took Zithromax and that didn't work. took it for 10 days 1/2 of 250mg pill a day. Vet did x-ray and found the fluid and gave him clavomox but breeder said that this med isn't as powerful or good.

Now sure what to do for him. what can his condition be???





Hi Nina
Your vet is the best person to advise you on this and I would recommend following his/her advice rather than anyone else's, but I know how worrying it is when you have a sick puppy!

Fluid in his chest is most likely the result of an infection of some sort - it could be a simple upper-respiratory infection caused by a virus or bacteria, or sometimes a puppy has a problem with his palate and inhales fluids while swallowing and this can cause similar symptoms.

Either of these conditions can lead to pneumonia if not treated properly. However, you're on the second round of antibiotics so you are dealing with it properly and sometimes it just takes a while for them to be effective. Both Zithromax and Clavamox are commonly used medications and it's not necessarily that Clavamox isn't as 'good' as Zithromax, it's just different. As the Zithromax wasn't effective, changing antibiotic is the right thing to do.

If it's a virus that he has antibiotics won't be effective anyway, they will just treat any secondary bacterial infection that may occur. Kennel cough is a common viral illness seen in puppies who haven't been vaccinated against it (the Bordatella) vaccine, and it's possible that this is the problem.

Kennel cough symptoms can include a runny nose, loss of appetite, lethargy and of course a cough. It's usually a self-limiting condition and puppies recover by themselves over a period of weeks. Antibiotics are often given to treat any bacterial infections that develop secondary to the virus itself.

As your pup is active and eating and drinking normally I don't think you should be too concerned at this point because he's also being treated proactively.

However, if by the time he's finished him medication he still has symptoms or if at anytime he starts to get worse, then I would get him back to your vet right away for further evaluation.

I wish I could help more but I think your doing all you can at this point and wish you lots of luck.

Hope he's doing much better soon.