My dog has a persistent cough, lethargy, and pale gums. What's wrong?

Question

Persistent cough, lethargy, and pale gums (mostly in the morning when he wakes up) would be a sign of what illness? He was on antibiotics for 6 weeks for possible pneumonia, stopped, no other symptoms but coughing now. Pet's info: Dog | Bulldog | Male | neutered | 45 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Rock! The symptoms you're describing could be due to quite a few different things, so it's hard to say what might be wrong without being able to examine him and run some tests. Some possible causes would include heart disease, pneumonia (either bacterial or fungal), chronic bronchitis, or even some type of cancer that is involving his lungs. If the coughing has not resolved after a long course of antibiotics, I would recommend taking him back to the vet for a recheck exam and and further work-up. Chest x-rays, echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart), and possibly bronchoalveoloar lavage would all be helpful diagnostic tests to consider, if these have not been done yet.

My dog has a persistent cough, lethargy, and pale gums. What's wrong?

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