Like canine influenza and gastroenteritis, dog pneumonia is a disease of animals that has a human equivalent. Caused by the proliferation of bacteria in the animal's lung, it can cause respiratory complications - sneezing dogs and dog coughs are common - and other symptoms. If not treated properly, pneumonia can be fatal. To avoid thiskind of problem with your friend, we talked to veterinarian Gabriel Mora de Barros, from the Vet Popular group. Take a look at what he explained!

Home Paws: What are the symptoms of pneumonia in dogs?

Gabriel Mora de Barros: The symptoms of pneumonia in dogs are not very different from ours. The term means that the lungs are compromised by inflammatory and infectious processes. These processes generate mucus production, which is a very good food for bacteria. They interact with this mucus and generate phlegm. It becomes difficult to breathe and turn and turn the animal sneezes and coughs, releasing phlegm.Therefore, difficulty breathing and phlegm production are already two clinical signs of a dog with pneumonia.

Animals with blocked noses cannot smell the food very well, and this, plus the weakness caused by pneumonia, can cause them not to eat, making their condition much worse. The story that "if you don't eat well, the best medicine in the world won't work" is true. We need to have a good supply of nutrients in our body to make it better.Fever is also a common finding, since it is an infection. Gastrointestinal disorders can occur due to the inflammatory process and prolonged fasting, if there is a delay in treating the pet.

PC: What causes pneumonia in dogs? Is it right to consider that it is a flu in dogs that has developed and got worse?

GMB: Pneumonia is usually caused by an opportunistic bacterium that settles in the animal's lungs and develops, generating mucus and phlegm and causing the animal's body to try to fight that secretion. Dog flu (kennel cough) can develop into pneumonia if not diagnosed and treated early. That is why it is important to take to the veterinarian when there areany of these signs mentioned above.