allergies, coughing and reverse sneezing...

[Jill Robinson]

My awesome 4 year old mini goldendoodle is having some issues :( 

She's had a hacking cough for a long time, which was misdiagnosed as kennel cough about 2 years ago; the cough has come and gone for that 2 years.  We recently switched vets and she was put on doxicycline for 4 weeks - it kicked the cough out for a while, but it's back (not as bad).  Meanwhile, she is having bouts of serious sneezing - usually at night time, and sometimes it's 10-12 big sneezes in a row - so bad last week that she had a bloody nose.  Mixed in with all of this is reverse sneezing.  We had been giving her benedryl for the allergies - but it seemed like it wasn't working any longer.  We are now trying chlorpheniramine for the sneezing, in hopes that it may tackle the reverse sneezing too.

Has anyone ever had this trifecta of conditions in your dog? We are going to take her to an internal medicine specialist if things don't get better.  It is spring time here in Michigan so there is a lot of things to cause allergies out there.  My big concern is the cough - could it be a defect in her trachea?  I don't know...just thought I'd check here to see if any of this sound familiar to anyone, and if so, what was the remedy?

Thanks...

[Jill Robinson]

I just made her an appointment with an internal medicine doctor who specializes in respiratory issues; meanwhile, I'll give her the cough pill or the allergy pill as needed and hope that it's something easily remedied.  I just hate when our animals are sick...I keep looking at her and asking her to talk to me :)

[Amy and Annabelle]

Since we share the same breeder, keep me posted with what is going on.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I would also not let her chew on regular sticks, especially while this is going on.  They can splinter and get lodged causing all kinds of different problems.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Please keep us updated when you have your appointment.

[Jill Robinson]

Just wanted to post an update: We saw an internal medicine doctor and found out that Lucy has Pulmonary Infiltration with Eosinophilia (PIE for short) ( https://en.wikivet.net/Pulmonary_Infiltration_with_Eosinophilia )

To get this diagnosis, she endured a scope down her throat into her lungs where they were able to get a good sample of the 'stuff' that was in there. In the sample they found that she had a lot of Eosinophils cells and lots of inflammation in her lungs.

• PIE is triggered by environmental allergens
• The doctor recommended a test for lung worms, as a precaution.
• Short term treatment will be prednisone for 3-4 weeks
• Long term - Flowvent steroid inhaler and we are going to get the aerodawg mask to administer the puffer
• Some dogs grow out of this disease; some can reduce treatments to twice a week once things are controlled
• Might only have to treat her during spring or whenever we figure out when her allergies are bad

Bottom line - I'm so happy we took her to a specialist.  We wouldn't have been able to figure this out or treat this on our own.  After they scoped her, she got a dose of steroids and was 100% better after the grogginess from the twighlight anesthesia wore off.  Hopeful that we can get things under control and reduce her dependence on the inhaler.  I asked if this was hereditary and the doctor said it can be but might not be and might just be something she developed.

Hopefully this will help someone along the way - it really was terrible to see her coughing, sneezing and reverse sneezing with so much force.  I had never had a pet that needed a specialist and was unsure of how this would play out.  Specialists are expensive, for sure, but we got a diagnosis and will soon have a healthy pup...that's all that matters to me.

[Amy and Annabelle]

Glad you finally got a diagnosis and she is on the road to recovery. We feel so helpless when our babies are sick.

[Jill Robinson]

Thanks! Helplessness is the worst...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's very interesting. Eosinophils are white blood cells that indicate inflammation due to an allergic response, and they're often seen when you do biopsy of the intestinal lining on dogs with IBD, too. 
I'm so glad that you have a diagnosis and can move forward with a treatment plan for Lucy. 

JD has seen 7 specialists to date; I'm a huge believer. :) 

[Jill Robinson]

IBD and GERD were two possibilities they talked about...all these things that both owners & dogs can get!  It makes sense, but I never really thought about it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

IBD is also an immune mediated disease, like PIE. And many IBD dogs seem to have Atopic Dermatitis as well, another immune mediated disease. Jack does, and his allergy specialist feels that he has an overactive immune system. 

And all are treated with immunosuppressant drugs. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thank you for sharing this.  I'm so happy that you saw a Specialist and now know exactly what's wrong and how to treat it.

[Nancy & Echo]

I'd never heard of this. Gosh, I'm so glad you got her to a specialist.  I had no idea they could give inhalers to dogs.  It must feel so much better when you know what is going on and have a treatment plan.  Best wishes to Lucy and you!