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Hemorrhage of the Lung in Dogs
What is Hemorrhage of the Lung?
A pulmonary contusion can be a life-threatening injury, depending on the severity of the hemorrhage so it is important to get your dog checked out thoroughly by your veterinarian if you suspect he has this injury. Since the pulmonary contusion is often caused by a traumatic injury, you should check your dog for other injuries right away. You should always be careful when moving your dog after a motor vehicle accident or any other traumatic injury in case of spinal injury or broken bones. A pneumothorax (collapsed lung from air in the chest cavity), hemothorax (blood in the chest cavity), broken ribs, and flail chest (2 or more broken ribs) can all be possible side effects from a pulmonary contusion, even if you do not see any visible injuries.
A hemorrhage of the lung (pulmonary contusion) is referring to lesions on the lungs that can happen after an injury to the chest wall. This can lead to hemorrhage and swelling which leads to the collapse of the lung. The pulmonary contusion is one of the most common wounds caused by a blunt chest trauma, which is most often from being hit by a vehicle or from a bite injury.
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Symptoms of Hemorrhage of the Lung in Dogs
- Rapid breathing
- Difficulty breathing
- Loud breathing
- Pain in the chest and abdomen
- Coughing
- Vomiting
- Blue or pale skin and mucous membranes
- Fainting
- Collapse
- Lung crackles
- Bloody nose or blood in the mouth
- Irregular heartbeat
Causes of Hemorrhage of the Lung in Dogs
- Vehicular trauma
- Bite from another animal
- Animal abuse (usually by owners)
- Falling from a high area
- Gunshot
- Stabbing or other wound that breaks the skin
Diagnosis of Hemorrhage of the Lung in Dogs
The first thing the veterinarian will do is make sure your dog is stable and has a clear airway while he does a thorough physical examination. This may require that your dog be sedated and provided with oxygen and fluid therapy so he may need to be hospitalized. As with any visit, you will need to provide your veterinarian will your dog’s complete medical history and any illnesses or changes in behavior. It is impossible to give a definite diagnosis of a pulmonary contusion with just a physical examination so your veterinarian will have to run some tests. These tests include:
- Blood pressure
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Blood gases
- Urinalysis
- Blood clotting test
- Digital radiographs (x-rays) of the chest and abdomen
The radiographs may be enough to diagnose the severity of your dog’s pulmonary contusion, but it sometimes does not show the true damage, so the veterinarian may decide to do some more tests, such as:
- Bronchoscopy
- Electrocardiography (ECG) to check for arrhythmia or tachycardia
- CT scan for a 3-D assessment
- Ultrasound to see the true extent of damage
- MRI for further details
Treatment of Hemorrhage of the Lung in Dogs
The treatment plan will depend on the severity of the pulmonary contusion and any other injuries that your dog may have sustained. Your veterinarian will want to keep your dog on oxygen for some time to increase the oxygen in the blood that may have been lost. Many times, the damage to the lung does not completely show for 24-48 hours, so the veterinarian may want to keep your dog for one or two days for observation.
Pain medication such as Fentanyl or Morphine will be administered if your dog is in pain. The veterinarian may also prescribe corticosteroids to reduce swelling and antibiotics to prevent infection. Other treatment may be necessary for injuries sustained with the pulmonary contusion, such as:
Pneumothorax
If your dog has pneumothorax, the veterinarian will have to perform a thoracentesis, which means relieving the air from the chest with a needle. After three attempts to drain the air, a thoracostomy tube will be placed in your dog’s chest.
Hemothorax
In the case of a hemothorax, the blood between the chest wall and the lung causes the lung to be compressed, causing pain and shortness of breath. Your veterinarian will want to keep your dog in the hospital on oxygen and IV fluids for 24 to 48 hours for observation. If the blood continues to be a problem or increases, the veterinarian may want to do surgery to find the cause of the bleeding and fix it.
Broken Ribs and Flail Chest (Two or more broken ribs)
If your dog has one or more broken ribs, the veterinarian may want to wrap the chest to stabilize the ribs and help them to heal. Cage rest and a short hospital stay are necessary if the injury is severe.
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Recovery of Hemorrhage of the Lung in Dogs
The veterinarian will probably keep your dog for at least 24 hours for observation, and possibly longer if there are any complications or if your dog has surgery. Once you get home, your dog may be on cage rest for several days to keep him from hurting himself. You will have to take your dog on a leash to go to the bathroom when necessary. Be sure to follow your veterinarian’s instruction and do not miss your follow-up appointment. The chances of a full recovery for your dog is excellent if the damage was mild and was treated right away. Otherwise, your dog’s recovery depends on the severity of the damage and whether it could be treated in time.
Hemorrhage of the Lung Average Cost
From 42 quotes ranging from $500 - $8,000
Average Cost
$3,500
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Hemorrhage of the Lung Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Indian pariah
indian Pariah dog
3 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Loss Of Appetite
Fast Breathing Rate
Difficulty In Lying Down, Mostly Sits
Walks Slowly And Doesn'T Run
I am from India I have an 'Indian Pariah' Dog. A car hit her 4 days ago, she is still breathing at fast rate than normal, and doest eat much. She is unable to lie down and most sits. She had been cefotaxime sodium injection ip 500mg on 2 successive days (2 times).
and on the 3rd day Rantidine injection ip 25mg/ml (2times) was given
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
As I wrote in my first answer, it is difficult to determine injury from road traffic trauma without carrying out x-rays and a physical examination; the medication that was prescribed is an antibiotic and to reduce stomach acid. Cases of trauma after road traffic accidents have to be determined on a case by case basis and require a physical examination, x-rays and possibly a neurological examination; these have to be carried out in person by your Veterinarian. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
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pitbull
karma
2 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Bleeding
my 2 year old dog was attacked 2 weeks ago and it has yellow puss come out of the wound and I kept it clean and bandaged as much as possible and the bite was on her front shoulder. now 2 weeks later she is bleeding out of her nose and mouth and coughing at first it was a dry cough like hacking now it seems to be more of a wet cough. she is at the vet now but were not sure if it is because of the bite or something else
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
After Karma suffered the attack, any wounds should have been cleaned (which you did) and prophylactic antibiotics should have been prescribed. An infection in the wound may have spread in the body leading to clotting problems causing nose bleeds as well as bleeding elsewhere in the body. It is possible that the nose bleeding and cough are not related to the attack, but in a young otherwise healthy dog statistically the chances are low unless a poisoning event, allergy or immune-mediated disease are the cause. A white blood cell count (along with other blood counts) would indicate if there was a severe infection or not and would be a good diagnostic step along with antibiotics and supportive therapy (fluids if needed etc…). Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
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Pomeranian
Debbie
2 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Shallow Rapid Breathing
Shaking
Bleeding
I have a Pomeranian that I assume was attacked by another animal tonight. She came whining and limping to the house while my other 2 dogs were aggressively barking at something in the field. There was 1 little hole in her skin with the radius of the ground prong on an extension cord. She lost approximately enough blood to soak 3 sheets of a standard paper towel. The hole in her skin didn't appear to go deep, but I was shocked with the amount of blood she lost. The hole was on her left side of her body, about dead center from the bottom of her ribs to the top of her back, and at the bottom 1/3 portion of her lung from head to behind.
She has no blood coming out of her mouth and I hear no wheezing in her breathing, however she seems to take a harder quicker breath that normal. We are looking for places that are open after midnight on a saturday night / sunday morning to take her to but I would like to know what else I should be looking for that would happen with a punctured lung or internal bleeding.
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
In cases of puncture wound injury to the chest wall, we always need to be concerned about a pneumothorax. Pneumothorax is an accumulation of air between the wall of the chest and the lungs resulting in inadequate filling of the lungs due to insufficient negative pressure during inhalation. Symptoms of pneumothorax are shallow rapid breathing, blue (or slight blue tinge) mucous membranes, coughing and fainting. If Debbie has a pneumothorax, it is a medical emergency and requires supplemental oxygen until surgical correction can be carried out. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVMhttps://www.vetary.com/dog/condition/accumulation-of-air-between-chest-and-lungs
July 26, 2017
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Indian pariah
indian pariah dog
3 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Breathing Difficulty
Loss Of Appetite
Unable To Lie Down
I am from India
I have an 'Indian Pariah' Dog. A car hit her 4 days ago, she is still breathing at fast rate than normal, and doest eat much. She is unable to lie down and most sits.
She had been cefotaxime sodium injection ip 500mg on 3 successive days.
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
Trauma after a road traffic accident can be difficult to assess, did your Veterinarian perform an x-ray? Broken bones, especially ribs can cause pain when recumbent or cause pain when breathing in turn causing an increase in respiration rate. Also, any direct damage to the lungs like bleeding or torsion can cause respiratory problems. Your Veterinarian has prescribed an antibiotic to prevent against any infection, but I would expect some pain management and other supportive therapy. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
My dog mattix was hit by a car yesterday he could hardly breath i picked him up an put him in my vehicle to try an get him to the vet but we live in the middle of no where an our towns only vet was closed i sent kids away an held my dog an told him what a good boy he is till his lungs filled with blood and he breathed his last can you send me some how to videos or something so i can do something to keep such a member of my family alive if heaven forbid such a event should ever occur again
Feb. 19, 2018
Ryan W E.
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Hemorrhage of the Lung Average Cost
From 42 quotes ranging from $500 - $8,000
Average Cost
$3,500
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Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
