Pneumonia is a condition of the lungs involving inflammation in the deep lung tissues, often with infection at its root. It can be a very serious condition in pets and even life-threatening. There are different types of pneumonia, which are often identified by their original cause: fungal pneumonia, caused by a fungus; viral pneumonia, often caused by the canine distemper virus infection or feline upper respiratory infection; parasitic pneumonia, caused by lungworms or the migration of other worms to the lungs; bacterial pneumonia, often resulting from severe kennel cough or megaesophagus; and allergic pneumonia, caused by extreme infiltration of the lung by inflammatory cells in the absence of infection.
The most common symptom of pneumonia in pets is coughing. Pneumonia can be diagnosed with a chest radiograph, though it's often difficult to determine when a radiograph should be performed. Kennel cough may be to blame in coughing puppies who have come from shelters or pet stores. However, a radiograph should be performed in pets who have a cough combined with fever, appetite loss, or listlessness, in coughing dogs with a history of megaesophagus or similar symptoms, and in kittens with serious upper respiratory infections which have not responded to treatment and management.
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