You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Bronchiectasis is seen on careful examination of chest radiographs...but what is it ?

Bronchiectasis is seen on radiographs of older dogs as gross dilation of the main bronchi in the chest, and it is frequently seen  in association with other pulmonary changes such as a mixed alveolar and interstitial pattern of increased radiodensity. The disorder can be further confirmed by bronchoscopy...accumulations of mucus and/or purulent material with discolouration and/or inflammation of the mucosal lining of the bronchial walls.

Bronchiectasis is a sequel to chronic bronchitis or chronic bronchopneumonia and it signals a loss of elasticity in the bronchial walls due to chronic inflammation and increased respiratory effort. The normal mucociliary mechanism to clear debris from the respiratory tract may be compromised in these cases.

Affected patients usually have a chronic cough and may have tachypnoea and dyspnoea. Exercise makes the clinical signs worse, and affected animals often have a history of recurrent chest infections. 

The damage to the bronchial walls is irreversible, so treatment is symptomatic, as for chronic bronchitis or bronchopneumonia, and may include :

• Antibiotics
• Bronchodilators
• Glucocorticoids 
• Steam inhalation
• Nebulised saline
• Chest physiotherapy to increase cough and clear airways - used a lot in humans but difficult to do in dogs

The cough must not be suppressed because this is essential to clear fluids and debris from the lower airways.

Updated January 2016