Why does my dog cough, breathe hard, have purple tongue, but X-rays are clear?

Question

My dog has a really bad cough and difficulty breathing. He tends to have a purplish collared tongue. however his X-rays are all clear. Any idea what could be causing this? Medications: phenobarbital and prednisone. Pet's info: Dog | Pomeranian | Male | neutered | 10 years and 7 months old | 10 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! One possibility that may not be clearly evident on radiographs is pulmonary hypertension. However, I would still consider other things possible such as pneumonia or heart failure which may not show up on radiographs when it is too early in the disease process. I would recommend rechecking radiographs and if nothing shows up, I would recommend considering a CT scan of the thorax which is more sensitive to pick up small changes in many instances. Good luck and have a great day!

Why does my dog cough, breathe hard, have purple tongue, but X-rays are clear?

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