Pitbull with breathing problems.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm sorry to hear that Shugg is having these problems. What you have described really has me concerned.

While I can't say for sure what is going on without examining him, if it sounds like he has fluid in his lungs there is a high chance that he has heart disease. This can also cause significant weight loss.

It doesn't sound like these symptoms are related to his history with fights.

Unfortunately there is not a lot that I can suggest without a vet visit. Do you think that perhaps she could afford at least a visit to the vet? Ideally the best thing for Shugg would be to have some xrays done. However, if your vet can tell that there is fluid in the lungs they may be willing to prescribe a diuretic (fluid pills) without taking xrays.

Unfortunately if there is heart disease then there is no cure for this. There are heart medicines that can help but they do tend to be expensive, especially for large dogs.

She may want to look into companies like Medicard or Care Credit which help people make payment plans with vets.

I hope this helps.

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.