Clinical Management of Dyspnoea with Concurrent Cough

Clinical summary

Clinical signs

Increased respiratory effort, orthopnoea, exercise intolerance, tachypnoea, nasal discharge, fever, and distinctive cough patterns (e.g., honking cough in canine tracheal collapse or wet, productive cough in bovine pneumonia).

Possible causes

Etiologies include infectious agents (viral/bacterial pneumonia), inflammatory conditions (asthma in felines, equine recurrent airway obstruction), cardiac disease leading to pulmonary edema, parasitic infections (Dirofilaria immitis, lungworm), and neoplastic processes.

Diagnostic approach

Diagnosis requires a tiered approach: physical examination (auscultation of heart and lungs), pulse oximetry, thoracic radiography, blood gas analysis, and species-specific procedures such as bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) or echocardiography.

Management

Initial stabilization includes supplemental oxygen therapy and minimal stress handling. Subsequent management focuses on anti-inflammatory agents, appropriate antimicrobial selection based on suspected pathogens, diuretics for cardiogenic causes, and bronchodilators where indicated.