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.

Beneficial effects have been reported following the administration of bronchodilators to dogs with chronic bronchitis

According to Matthew Miller (91st Cornell CVM Proceedings 1999) a positive therapeutic response to bronchodilators has been documented in a small group of  dogs with chronic bronchitis. These findings are interesting because previously bronchoconstriction was not thought to be a significant problem in chronic bronchitis.

As a result the author currently advocates a 2-3 week trial period of treatment with  :

• Albuterol syrup - initial dose 0.02-0.05 mg/kg body weight twice daily by mouth, OR
• Theophylline - initial dose 20 mg/ kg body weight twice daily by mouth

The dose is gradually reduced to the minimum needed to provide the desired improvement in cough and exercise tolerance.

Unfortunately, there are some undesirable side-effects to this treatment including muscle tremors and restlessness which can last for up to 5 days, and which some owners may find unacceptable.

Since this paper bronchodilators have also been used with success in the management of feline bronchitis. However in both species the effects are not predictable amd bronchodilators are less effective in dogs and long-acting theophylline drugs in humans can be given twice daily to dogs. Bronchodilators that have been used in dogs and cats include:

Updated January 2016