Coughing and not eating chihuahua

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, poor Cocky. He really sounds sick.

I'm really concerned that he has a serious virus such as distemper. Unfortunately if it is distemper it may be life threatening.

It is also possible that he has a very severe case of kennel cough (bordetella) which has progressed into pneumonia. But, kennel cough doesn't usually cause eye problems.

Cocky really does need to see a veterinarian. It sounds like, at minimum, he needs some antibiotics. Unfortunately he won't be able to get antibiotics without seeing a vet.

If you have some financial problems, this list of ways to help pay vet bills might be helpful.

Until you can get to the vet's you can try putting Cocky in a steamy bathroom for a few minutes to see if this will loosen up some of his congestion.

I wish I could give you more at home remedies, but I can't stress enough how important it is to have a vet see Cocky. It's possible that with some antibiotics he will start to recover. But, the longer we wait, the sicker he is going to become. This really doesn't sound like something he is going to get over on his own.

I really hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie

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Dr. Marie replied:

I'm glad to hear that he's on medication. Let's hope this is not distemper!

The medication really shouldn't cause any nasal discharge. It sounds like this is just part of the set of symptoms that he has.

I really hope he responds to his antibiotics!