Respiratory Medicine

A battery of diagnostic tests were needed to uncover the root cause of lethargy, inappetence and coughing in a 7-month-old dog.

Dr. Lindsay Ruland's clients, staff--even her children--experience symptoms she says seem related to canine condition reported in Ohio and Michigan.

Producers, veterinarians work through staggering herd loss and animal stress.

When it comes to the use of furosemide for treating EIPH, here's what veterinarians can all agree on.

Studies show equine nasal strips reduce airway resistance and mitigate exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

A look at how to best halt these infections in shelters.

Davis, Calif. - In a first study of its kind, veterinarians across the country reported on the prevalance of certain common pathogens among the equine population.

Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) is an interstitial lung disease (ILD) that involves gradual replacement of the lung parenchyma with fibrotic tissue, resulting in diffusion impairment.

Feline allergic asthma, also called feline asthma, or feline lower airway disease, is often used to refer to a somewhat heterogeneous group of conditions affecting the lower airways of cats.

Traumatic thoracic injuries are prevalent in small animals, particularly in dogs.

Use these six pointers to ensure the successful use of inhalants in asthmatic cats.

Dr. Scott Shaw thinks you'll do more good than harm if you don't shy away from this life-saving procedure, especially if it's needed before transporting a patient to a referral center.

Among the key frustrations is a lack of understanding about exactly what this condition represents (i.e. Is there really a causal relationship to some form of infection? is it immune-mediated? Allergic?...). Since it is a diagnosis of exclusion, there is also always a bit of doubt about whether or not I may have missed a primary nasal diseas.

Asthma in human beings is a chronic inflammatory disease within the lower airways (bronchi and bronchioles) that causes cough, wheeze and exercise intolerance. These clinical signs are the result of a decrease in airflow through airways that are narrowed from excessive mucus secrection, airway wall edema and bronchoconstriction.

Patients with respiratory distress are often frail and excessive stress may progress to respiratory arrest. Non-invasive techniques are essential to avoid exacerbation of tenuous circumstances. One must rely upon abridged and fragmented physical examinations in the most serious cases, accurate historical information, and noninvasive diagnostics.

The use of inhaled medications is certainly not a new phenomenon in feline medicine. It makes intuitive sense that local delivery of medication might result in different actions than systemic administration. There are two primary methods for delivering inhaled medications to cats: 1) use of metered dose inhalers (MDI) or 2) use of a nebulizer to aerosolize liquid medications.

Diagnostic tests are obviously required to confirm the presence of many respiratory diseases in small animals. However, respiratory medicine is an underdeveloped subspecialty in veterinary medicine, and there are relatively few sophisticated tests that are available to the clinician that actually diagnose specific pulmonary disorders.

"Allergic" rhinitis is a difficult and frustrating clinical condition in cats. Because of the relatively young age at which many cats are afflicted, we assume that Feline Herpes Virus –1 (FHV-1) is part of the pathophysiology.

Although feline asthma is among the most commonly diagnosed respiratory conditions in cats, there is still a lot of confusion about how to define or classify this condition or how to differentiate it from other lower respiratory tract problems.

Upper airway disorders in dogs and cats include abnormalities of the nares, pharynx, larynx and trachea. The purpose of this manuscript is to highlight the most common upper airway disorders that we seen in canine and feline patients. A more detailed discussion will occur during the lecture.

The role thoracic radiography should play in determining the severity of lung disease in dogs.

Traumatic thoracic injuries are prevalent in small animals, particularly in dogs. The most common causes of thoracic trauma are motor vehicular accidents and bite wounds. Other possible, although less common mechanisms include gunshot, knife wounds or being kicked by a larger animal (horse/cow). Injuries may range from mild to life threatening.

Tracheal stenting has been recently re-introduced as an approach to management of severe tracheal collapse. Severe tracheal collapse is life-threatening and while extra-thoracic collapse may be amenable to extra-luminal prosthetic rings, intra-thoracic collapse is not.

The purpose of this lecture is to review the management of pyothorax in cats and dogs. Pulmonary infection can result from bacterial, viral, fungal or protozoal infection, however, pyothorax is almost uniformly bacterial. The pleural space has a small amount of fluid normally (~ 5 ml) which serves as lubrication for the pulmonary parenchyma.

Pneumothorax is defined as free air in the pleural space. Normal intra-pleural pressure is about - 5 cmH20, which means that in order to equilibrate pressures, air from either the atmosphere, or the lung will equilibrate rapidly with the pleural space. Pneumothorax can be further characterized as traumatic, spontaneous and iatrogenic.

Respiratory distress is common and challenging. Cats often compensate well for pulmonary diseases, and some conditions can rapidly fulminate. Dogs are often more "honest" although they can decompensate rapidly as well. It is crucial to balance the equal goals of limiting stress on the patient with respiratory distress, and to work to identify the specific cause of the distress so that appropriate therapy can be provided.

Definitive diagnosis of pulmonary disease remains elusive at times. Cytological or histopathological samples are useful to help better classify the underlying cause as well as determine both prognosis and treatment course. Thus, it is prudent for the criticalist to have a strong grasp of the various techniques and options available for sampling.

Upper airway diseases/obstruction are relatively common causes of respiratory distress in dogs and cats. However, because lung parenchymal diseases are more frequently observed, upper airway problems may be overlooked. In order to fully appreciate upper airway disease, it is essential to be familiar with the structure, function, and common abnormalities.

Feline bronchial disease goes under a multitude of names reflecting the considerable heterogeneity in anatomic locations as well as etiologies that may be involved.

Herpesvirus 1 (rhinotracheitis; FHV-1) and calicivirus (FCV) are the most common viral causes of sneezing and nasal discharge in the cat. If oral ulcers are present, calicivirus is most likely. If corneal ulcers are present, herpesvirus 1 is most likely. FHV-1 has now also been associated with chronic stomatitis, facial dermatitis, and endogenous uveitis. Viral rhinitis with or without secondary bacterial infection can be recurrent.