I have a 2 year old Australian Shepard. Back a couple ...

If you could answer a couple of questions for me, I will be able to answer your questions better.

Can you tell me what antibiotics she has been on and for how long? What was the anti-inflammatory she was on? Have any cough suppressants been used?

When you say that she seems starving all the time when she is on those meds, which meds are you speaking about?

The antibiotic is doxyclycline. The anti-inflammatory was Penaril-P tablets. She hasn't been on cough suppressants. Her appetite seems to be excessive while on the antibiotic.

I am going to assume that the diagnosis is correct, but without culture results we cannot be certain. I know you said that the culture did not grow anything (that happens sometimes) but did they mention any types of cells that were detected with the tracheal wash? If there is an allergic or parasite component to this, there could be have been increase in a type of cells called eosinophils in the tracheal wash. A complete blood count may also show an increase in the eosinophils in the blood. Also, a repeat x-ray may be considered to see if anything is showing up once the pneumonia has cleared. Again, I will assume that the diagnosis is kennel cough though. If your vet has any doubt, they may consider having the x-rays (both previous ones with the pneumonia and perhaps more current ones) reviewed by a radiologist to make sure they are not missing anything.

Doxycycline is a good antibiotic choice for kennel cough, but since it is not eliminating the infection in this dog, I would consider doing a 5 day course of Zithromax. This is an antibiotic that has been very effective against kennel cough. I have had this drug work when doxycycline did not.

The Temaril-P contains an anti-inflammatory ( a type of steroid) which also functions as a cough suppressant. It is likely that this is the medication that has caused the increase in appetite as that is a common side effect of any of the steroids. I would not expect this side effect with the doxycycline.

If the Zithromax is unsuccessful, then the next thing to consider would be nebulization therapy. One of the reasons we have trouble clearing these infections is because the infection occurs within the lining of the respiratory tract, and it is difficult for the drugs to reach this surface. With nebulization, an antibiotic is dissolved in water and then it is vaporized and breathed in so the antibiotic is delivered via the airway instead of the blood stream. Because of this, it is often effective when oral medication is not.

I hope this information helps you. If you have additional questions, please let me know.