Edema In Dogs

Edema In Dogs

When the body has fluid retention the lungs may also fill up and develop Edema in dogs. Shortness of breath is a symptom of this condition. Besides the pressure from abdominal distension, the fluid in the lungs puts a burden on the respiratory system and demands drastic withdrawal of fluids from the body with drugs.

The following are the causes of pulmonary edema in Dogs:

Causes of Edema in Dogs

Edema in dogs is mainly caused due to the overloading of the vascular pressure, plasma oncotic pressure, lymphatic obstruction, and increased rate of vascular permeability.

• The edema in dogs is mainly caused due to the accumulation of liquid in the interstitium. Since the space inside the interstitium is very small, the space gets easily filled up and even the adjoining alveoli. Due to the increased filling up of fluids respiratory disorders suffer immensely. The edema becomes quite severe in form when the atelectasis, decreased rate of compliance due to increased pressure on the alveoli, and decreased rate of surfactants.
• The edema also occurs due to increased resistance of luminal narrowing of the bronchioles.
• Hypoxemia is the result of abnormalities in ventilation perfusion.
• The edema in your dog is also the result of the incessant occurrence of cough, tachypnea, respiratory distress, and symptoms.
• The sound of crackles can be heard from dogs suffering from the very advanced stage of the disease. The crackling sound will not be present among the animals who are suffering from mild cases of edema or the very initial stages of the disease.
• Chronic cases of edema may lead to death. Just the time before death you will find that there would be the presence of bloody froths in the trachea, pharynx, and the nares of the dog.
• There can be a series of respiratory syndromes related to the respiratory system. The syndromes like acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS and the incidence of subacute hypoalbuminemia.
• The dogs that get affected with respiratory diseases for a prolonged period get affected by edema.

For diagnosing the disease physicians study the radiographic changes that go around inside the lungs. Apart from radiographic studies, the examinations of the medical history of the dog, echocardiography, and serum biochemical analysis of the dog are also done. The concentration of the album is also checked in case the vet suspects the presence of pulmonary edema.

In radiographs, the interstitial patterns are like interstitial in pattern and as the process advances it takes the pattern of an alveolar. The edema caused due to the failure of the heart system is quite dangerous in form any other types of edema occurring in other body parts. The type of edema which is the result of increased vascular permeability becomes quite severe if it occurs in the dorsocaudal lung regions. For effective diagnosis of edema in dogs, the entire medical history of the dog is minutely studied, with complete physical examination, auscultation of the chest, chest X-rays, electrocardiography, blood work, and urinalysis.

See more: Enlarged Heart in Dog