Old Dog Lung

[Feralpeg]

My golden retriever, Griffin, has been diagnosed with "old dog lung". Griffin will be 13 in June. When he stands or sits upright, he breaths very heavy. The only time he seems to breath easy is when he is lying down. The vet acted like this is a very common thing and didn't act like it was any big deal. Griffin also has very bad hips. He is on glucosamine and Rimadyl twice a day. He has a recurring staff infection. It never truly goes away. When it gets bad, they put him on an antibiotic and it seems to clear up. After a couple of months, it comes back. The last time, he was on an antibiotic for two months.

In other words, poor Griffin isn't in the greatest shape. Of course, I hate the thought of losing him, but I am worried. I don't know how uncomfortable he is. I don't want him to suffer. He doesn't sleep for long periods of time. He will sleep for about 15 to 20 minutes and then he moves around. He scratches at the floor as if he is trying to make it softer. Yet, I got him a soft bed. Instead of sleeping in the bed, he lays on the hard tile.

Has anyone else had any experience with a dog and old dog lung? I wish he could just tell me how he feels.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

I've never heard of old dog lung - Just wanted to send you some

 

[JodyLynC]

 

[mamamary]

I've never heard of it either. But I want to send a to you and your dog.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

That's a first for me, too. It's so hard when they get old.

 

[doxdogy]

So sorry to hear about poor Griffin. We bought a couple of dog beds for our mutts. Did they use them? No they preferred to cold hard floor. Until we threw some throw pillows from our old couch on the floor. We covered them with a sheet and now they all sleep on them most of the time.

 

[hiwaygal]

I have never heard of it either but wow...some of the other stuff sounds a lot like our Daisy (golden mix)!

She's about 8 years old and she will only rarely lie on a nice soft bed...she likes laying where it's cool. Maybe Griffin likes the cool too and it might actually help him breathe better (kinda like a cool mist humidifier helps some asthmatics).

Just keep him comfortable and loved...mostly all he probably wants is the love.

And for you...it is very hard when they get old!

 

[sunnyday123]

Never heard of that, but my lab had something with her throat, the vet said it's common with Labs, their throat closes up...same thing?? She breathed very heavy, sometimes it sounded like she was gasping almost.

We also did the glucosimine and rimadyl...it's so hard when they get old. She prefered the cold tile and hardwood floors with a thin blanket on them, too. I think the cold makes their hips feel better.

 

[PlutoPony]

Never heard of that, but my lab had something with her throat, the vet said it's common with Labs, their throat closes up...same thing?? She breathed very heavy, sometimes it sounded like she was gasping almost.

Maybe a paralyzed larynx? That's what our last lab developed when he was ~ 11. As it progressed, it got harder and harder for him to get a good breath .

Never heard of old dog lung - sorry.

Our geriatric dog (rescue shepherd/husky mix) doesn't sleep on a bed when her arthritis and hip problems are acting up. I just assume the hard floor gives her better support and feels better to her, but who knows... it's not like she's actually told me why she does that or anything . We're starting to reach the same point with our rescue, Peg. At 14 years old, her back legs are rapidly losing muscle tone and some days it's a real chore for her to get around. However, other days she's fully engaged, taunting our 9yo lab and generally being full of herself so . I guess when the bad days consistently outnumber the good ones we'll know it's time ....

Good luck with your decision, whenever it comes along

 

[Parkers_girl]

My two pups are 1 and 9 and they both prefer the coldness of the tile to any other spot in the house. We have our older border collie on "dog gone pain", it's a natural joint relief for dogs. It seems to be working great he's no longer stiff and keeps up with our young pup. I prefer using the natural DGP then Rimadyl, I've heard some nasty stuff about it.

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

Did your vet diagnose this with an x-ray? "Old dog lung" is more of a radiographic diagnosis than a clinical one.

With compromised lungs, he should breathe easier sitting up or standing rather than lying down (when he lies down, it compresses the 'down' lung).

My first thought when I read your post was that he's breathing heavier because of pain rather than lung problems. Have you tried tweaking his Rimadyl or possibly trying him on Deramaxx instead. My Griffin (the silver Shepherd in my siggie) seemed to do much better on Deramaxx than Rimadyl.

 

[Feralpeg]

Did your vet diagnose this with an x-ray? "Old dog lung" is more of a radiographic diagnosis than a clinical one.

With compromised lungs, he should breathe easier sitting up or standing rather than lying down (when he lies down, it compresses the 'down' lung).

My first thought when I read your post was that he's breathing heavier because of pain rather than lung problems. Have you tried tweaking his Rimadyl or possibly trying him on Deramaxx instead. My Griffin (the silver Shepherd in my siggie) seemed to do much better on Deramaxx than Rimadyl.

Thank you all for your thoughts. The vet did do x-rays. I need to take Griffin in for blood work before his next refill on the Rimadyl. I will ask the doctor about Deramaxx.

The funny thing is that it seemed to come on rather suddenly a few months ago. Sometimes, he appears to be swallowing hard, yet he has no problem eating. He also yawns a lot. I guess that could be a lack of oxygen thing.

I just hate this. I want to do what is best for him. I don't want to loose him, but I am also concerned with his quality of life. I just wish there was a way for me to know how uncomfortable he is.

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

Did the x-rays include his trachea and neck vertebrae? I would ask the vet to do a thorough exam of his neck, lymph nodes and oral cavity.

 

[monsterkitty]

My Tiger Lily puppy will be 15 next month. She has Cushing's and breathes so heavy we call her our obscene phone call. However, loves to play with our younger dog and our 6-year-old cat. She eats well and is still very alert.

I bought my Tiger Lily a nice dog bed as well, but she won't lay on it either. I wonder if she is just unsteady on her feet when she is on the dog bed that it scares her. Instead, her and the cat curl up together on the floor next to my side of the bed. Tiger Lily will sleep on a quilt my mom made for her at least. Will Griffin sleep on a blanket?

I just know that her days numbered, as are the days of my almost 22-year-old cat. Boo Boo had a cold last week and I thought we might lose him. He is doing so much better this week and I am so thankful. I have had these two longer than I have had my husband. I was in tears last week just thinking of not have my Boo Boo cat, because he truly was the best roommate I had in college.

Like you, I wish they could tell us what hurt and how to make them feel better. I am in the camp of not letting them suffer, but when do we know it is time?

Hugs to you, FeralPeg, and to Griffin.

 

[TeresaNJ]

If he is repositioning himself every twenty minutes or so, then he is very uncomfortable. From the way you describe his breathing, it sounds like he has congestive heart failure. Honestly, and I know you don't want to do it, and it is heartbreaking, I do believe he is suffering and needs to be let go. We had to let our golden go a year and a half ago, at the age of 13, and it was very, very hard, but please don't let your poor doggie suffer any longer.

 

[christiane]

Sorry to hear that Griffin is unwell, feralpeg.

I agree with a previous poster. "Old dog lung" is not a diagnosis, there is no such thing. There can be age-related changes on radiographs but these do not have any clinical significance.

I would seek another opinion or at least ask your vet to have a radiologist look at Griffin's films.

Once heart & respiratory disease has been ruled-out, then uncontrolled pain is usually the next cause of heavy breathing. Sometimes these dogs need more than one pain reliever at a time.

Recurrent staph infections can indicate a poor immune-system. You could discuss checking Griffin for a hypothyroidism & other causes.

I hate when vets chalk things up to age & leave it at that!! Age is not a disease!! Your vet needs to find out what is going on so he can help your boy...

Best wishes to you both.
Christiane.

 

[mitkit46]

He was diagnosed yesterday. He is eleven and a mixed breed. Basically what they are saying is his lungs have become fibrous? He doesn't seem to be in pain at this point. I notice it the most in the morning. He labors on the intake breath and it is quite raspy.

After he gets up and about, he seems to be fine. We have a younger dog and a nice back yard that he still runs around in. Sometimes when he is sleeping I will here the rasping.

I too, am concerned about what this will mean for us and how it will progress.
Somewhere I read, maybe in this posting somewhere that if he changes positions alot then likely he is in pain (thank you - makes sense and is helpful).

I think I'm going to call the vet and get the technical name and look it up, because there is not much on the web about "old dog lung".

I'm curious, did you guys smoke. Because we smoke and the vet is putting us on a pretty heavy guilt trip - not helping under the circumstance, but, maybe necessary since we have other animals.

 

[goofy4tink]

Peggy, I'm sorry you're at this point with your buddy Griffin. We had a golden that we had to let go when he was 13....Cushings, arthritis in his spine and hips, brain tumor. I can understand what you're going through.
If Griffin is constantly moving around, I would imagine that he is in some discomfort. My golden is always 'digging' at the carpet...still not sure why, and he's 'only' 9. He does like to sleep on the bed though, so his chest/lungs are good so far.
But...as another poster mentioned already, that lung area is getting smooshed when he lies down, and he most likely can't get any good breath, so he gets up, moves around. Painful? Probably not.
On the other hand, you are a good, caring owner..you don't want Griffin to be suffering. You'll know when it's time. We knew when our golden didn't eat for two days....that had never happened. It was almost like he said 'enough is enough....are you guys getting the message yet???!!!'
My heart goes out to you at this hard time. I'll give Chappy (my golden) an extra hug for Griffin.

 

[mewsishun]

Our 10 yo Dalmatian (male) has old dog lung and before that our old Brittany also had it. The vet explained that as dogs age their lungs sometimes lose elasticity so their lungs don't expand when they breathe in like they used to. So they pant in order to get more air in. That's why you only notice it when your dog is awake. When they're sleeping or lying down, their need for oxygen is less than when they are up and active so they're breathing is more shallow and quieter.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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