Croupous pneumonia is an acute inflammation of the lower respiratory tract. It mainly affects horses and cattle, but can also occur in pets.

Causes
Usually, the disease occurs when the time coincides with a decrease in local and general immunity and seeding of the lungs with pathogenic microorganisms. As a rule, these are resistant strains of pneumococci, diplococci, staphylococci. These types of bacteria are also found in healthy animals, but due to their natural resistance to infectious diseases, they do not suffer from pneumonia.

In addition, pneumonia can be caused by a stressful situation that forced the animal's body to deplete all its reserves. For example, if you give cold water to a horse hot from running, or transport livestock from a warm room to a damp one. Another factor is the hot or poison gas, which damages the bronchi and especially the lungs.

Clinic
They practically do not differ from human beings. The disease begins acutely: with weakness, lethargy, drowsiness due to intoxication. The body temperature rises to feverish values, the heartbeat becomes frequent, breathing becomes superficial, the mucous membranes become sharply wet. There is a loss of appetite.

Of the specific symptoms, there is a dry barking cough, which gradually turns into a wet one. At this stage, you can hear fine bubbling rales in the lungs, crepitus. When tapping, tympanitis can be detected, then dullness of the sound, and at the stage of resolution - a clear sound. Characteristics of lung percussion indicates the stage of the disease process. Depending on this, one- or two-sided development of the pathological process is determined. To be more likely, a chest x-ray is taken. In addition, purulent discharge from the nose is observed in sick animals.

If the disease is detected on time and the necessary medical care is provided to the animal, then the resolution of pneumonia occurs within a week to 10 days. Usually, after medical intervention, the disease acquires an abortive course, and recovery occurs much earlier.

Sometimes the disease is prolonged due to the reduced immunity of the animal, the resistance of the pathogen to drugs, or an atypical course of the disease. Its manifestations in this case can be very diverse, the duration varies from several weeks to months. Exacerbations and relapses against the background of clinical recovery are possible.

Diagnostics
To make a diagnosis of croupous pneumonia, you must:
1. Anamnesis, indicating the probable cause, symptoms of the disease and previous illnesses.
2. Laboratory tests:
- KLA (complete blood count), where we will see an accelerated ESR, an increase in leukocytes due to young neutrophils, a decrease in lymphocytes.
- In the exudate from the nose, fibrin, leukocytes, altered erythrocytes, and microbes are detected.
- After receiving a swab in the larynx and bronchoalveolar lavage, you can sow the cell culture, which is the causative agent of the disease.
3. Instrumental research:
- X-ray: the picture shows shadows in the lungs, usually in the lower lobes, which indicates an inflammatory process.
It is necessary to know how lobar pneumonia differs from other diseases with similar symptoms. These are diseases such as swine flu, equine pleuropneumonia, rhinotracheitis and others.
It is difficult to make a prognosis for such a disease, especially if medical care is delayed for some reason.

Treatment
First of all, sick animals are isolated from healthy ones, and the room where they were is subjected to disinfection.
Sick animals change the diet, add more vitamins, proteins, fats, provide animals with unlimited access to water.
Of the drugs, antibiotics are prescribed, focused on typical pathogens. But at the same time, a smear is taken for sowing on a nutrient medium to check the susceptibility of the flora to the drug. If necessary (lack of effect, worsening of the general condition), the antibiotic is changed. In parallel with this, local remedies are used, such as rubbing the animal's chest with turpentine or mustard alcohol, antiallergic measures, lowering the temperature (if necessary). Well accelerate the resolution of the inflammatory process mucolytics and expectorants. They remove the accumulated exudate and prevent congestion in the lungs, which can prolong the disease.

If intoxication increases, then to maintain the body, it is necessary to intravenously inject a hypertonic glucose solution with vitamin C, and in order to prevent coma, insulin is injected in parallel.
In the case when maintenance therapy is necessary, for example, concomitant chronic diseases of the heart or liver, then drugs are prescribed in therapeutic doses.

Prevention
It is necessary to observe the regime of work and rest, carefully monitor the area of ​​\u200b\u200byour pet and, if necessary, supplement it with vitamins to strengthen immunity. Regular vaccinations and veterinary check-ups will also be useful.

Inflammatory processes in the lungs in pets are not uncommon. The cause of the disease is most often an infection, ingestion of foreign objects into the respiratory system. As a result of the development of the pathological process, normal gas exchange is disrupted, which in severe cases can threaten the life of a four-legged friend. Treatment of pneumonia is complex and should be carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian.

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Causes

Long-term veterinary practice shows that the main causes contributing to the development of pneumonia in dogs are the following:

Provoking pneumonia factors, according to veterinarians, are:

• Weakening of the body's immune system. The inability of local immunity to resist the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms into the mucous membranes increases the risk of developing pneumonia. Insufficient production of immunoglobulin class A is considered by veterinarians to be one of the main immunological causes of pneumonia in animals.
• Sharp temperature changes. Long-term walks in the winter season are dangerous for short-haired dog breeds.
• Unsatisfactory conditions of detention (damp, cold room with drafts).
• Injuries in the chest area.
• Contacts with patients with infectious pathologies relatives.
• Unbalanced . A diet poor in complete proteins, vitamins, minerals weakens the body and increases the risk of inflammatory pathology.
• The ingress of pathogens with poor-quality feed. Fungal pneumonia can develop as a result of food contamination with pathogenic fungi, such as aspergillus.

• Long-term use of certain drugs, such as Digoxin.
• Chemotherapy for malignant neoplasms.
• Metabolic diseases (diabetes, uremia).

Puppies and older pets are most often exposed to inflammatory processes in the lungs due to a weak immune system. More susceptible to pneumonia than other breeds are hunting, guard and sled dogs, which, by the nature of their service, have to deal with adverse environmental factors.

Types of pneumonia

The variety of causes leading to pneumonia in pets determines the types of pathology. Specialists distinguish between infectious and non-infectious types of pneumonia in dogs.

infectious

Inflammation of the lungs caused by the introduction of pathogenic microflora refers to the infectious type of the disease.

An infectious agent can enter the body of a dog with food, water, in contact with a sick animal, as well as by the hematogenous and lymphogenous route with the underlying disease.

Aspiration

A non-infectious form of the disease includes aspiration pneumonia. The disease develops for several reasons: inhalation of small foreign objects, vomiting, paralysis and other neuromuscular diseases of the pharynx and esophagus, incorrect insertion of a tube for artificial feeding. Often the cause of aspiration is giving the drug through the mouth.

According to the nature of the inflammatory process in the lung tissue, veterinary specialists distinguish between catarrhal and lobar pneumonia.

catarrhal

The catarrhal form of the disease is characteristic of bronchopneumonia, when bronchi and alveoli are involved in the inflammatory pathological process. In this case, a serous or serous-catarrhal exudate is formed, and the pathology is focal in nature. Puppies and older dogs are susceptible.

Croupous

The most severe in the nature of the course of the inflammatory process is croupous pneumonia. Pathology is associated with the fact that fibrin threads, which are formed as a result of pathological inflammation, sweat into the lumen of the alveoli and bronchi. In addition to fibrinous exudate, sweating of erythrocytes and leukocytes occurs.

With lobar pneumonia, veterinary specialists distinguish between the stage of active hyperemia, red and gray hepatization and resolution. At the stage of red hepatization, fibrin fibers and erythrocytes exit the capillaries. The stage of gray hepatization is characterized by the migration of leukocytes. At the resolution stage, the exudate is liquefied.

Symptoms in a dog

At the beginning of the disease, the owner observes, as a rule, common symptoms characteristic of many respiratory diseases:

• loss of appetite or complete refusal of food, increased thirst;
• lethargic, drowsy, apathetic state of the pet;
• dry and hot to the touch nose;
• chills, indicating an increase in body temperature;
• expiration from the nose of a mucopurulent nature.

With the development of inflammation, the symptoms become more characteristic of pneumonia:

The severity of the clinical picture largely depends on the severity of the inflammation and the state of the dog's immune system.

Diagnostic methods

If pneumonia is suspected, the veterinarian will first perform percussion of the lungs to detect areas of dullness and auscultation to assess breath sounds. Detection of wheezing, increased breath sounds, attenuation of breathing in different areas of the lungs indicate a pathological process.

An informative diagnostic method is an x-ray examination of the animal's chest. The inflamed area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe lungs looks like a blackout with an uneven border in the picture.

Complex therapy of the disease includes antibacterial agents, vasodilators, expectorants and mucolytic drugs. Particular attention is paid to the maintenance and proper feeding of a sick pet.

Antibiotics prescribed by a doctor

The leading role in the treatment of pneumonia in animals is occupied by antibacterial
therapy. You can increase its effectiveness by making preliminary tests of sputum or bronchial washings for sensitivity to a particular group of antimicrobial agents.

Most often, broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed for an illness: Gentamicin, Ampicillin, Amoxiclav. Effective drugs of the cephalosporin series: Cefotaxime, Ceftriaxone, Cephalexin, Cefuroxime. Cephalosporins are active against staphylococci, streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, etc.

In the event that the causative agent of pneumonia is chlamydia or mycoplasma, tetracyclines are used - Doxycycline, as well as macrolides, such as Sumamed.

vitamin therapy

An integrated approach without fail includes vitamin therapy. On the recommendation of a veterinarian, a four-legged pet can be prescribed multivitamin preparations, as well as intramuscular injections of ascorbic acid, vitamins of group B. Fat-soluble vitamin A, which affects the processes of tissue regeneration, is useful for illness.

Home care and recovery

After stabilizing the pet’s condition in the hospital, for a speedy recovery at home, the owner must provide competent care:

• The room should be chosen warm, dry, without drafts
• A balanced diet must be enriched with vitamins and minerals.
• On the recommendation of a veterinarian, the owner may perform chest massage to stimulate sputum discharge.
• At home, it is useful to use dry heat in the form of irradiation with a Solux lamp.

Warming up the chest of a dog with a Sollux lamp

• Strict adherence to the instructions of a veterinarian. Uncontrolled use of antitussive drugs, for example, based on codeine, is not allowed.
• Treatment should be carried out under the control of x-ray examination.

Disease prevention

The owner can prevent the development of pneumonia in a four-legged family member by following the advice and recommendations of veterinary specialists:

Pneumonia in dogs is a common disease that affects the alveolar tissue. Inflammation occurs, as a rule, with the introduction of pathogenic microflora. In dogs, the aspiration form of the disease is often diagnosed. Diagnosis includes general clinical techniques and chest x-ray.

Treatment is complex, based on long-term use of antibacterial drugs and should only be carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian.

Useful video

For symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of pneumonia in dogs, see this video:

There are various classifications of pneumonia.

primary; Primary pneumonia occurs when the animal is hypothermic, drinking cold water, feeding frozen food. Contribute to the occurrence of Pneumonia inadequate feeding, lack of vitamins in the diet.

secondary; Secondary pneumonia occurs as a complication of non-contagious and infectious diseases.

With the flow:

subacute;

Chronic.

Taking into account the spread and mechanism of development of the pathological process

Lobar (lobar, focal) pneumonia is characterized by a relatively rapid spread of the inflammatory process in the lungs, with coverage in typical cases already in the first hours of the disease of individual lobes of the lungs or even the entire lung. Lobar pneumonia almost always proceed quickly and severely, with severe clinical signs, often have a characteristic staging. Croupous and some infectious pneumonias (infectious pleuropneumonia, pasteurellosis, etc.) proceed according to this type;

It must be borne in mind that with lobar and lobular pneumonia there can be many etiological factors and several alternating forms of the inflammatory process. Therefore, the diagnoses - intravital (clinical) and post-mortem (pathoanatomical) - may sometimes not coincide in terminology.

Depending on the pathogen

infectious pneumonia are divided into:

Fungal. It is mainly caused by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, the causative agent of cryptococcosis and is difficult to treat.

Viral. For example, with viral canine distemper or as a complication of respiratory viral infections of cats.

Bacterial. As a rule, this is a secondary infection associated with bronchotracheitis, which often develops in small puppies when they are transported over long distances, or when feed masses enter the respiratory tract due to megaesophagus (total expansion of the esophagus).

Based on the nature of the inflammatory process in the lungs and pathoanatomical changes:

According to this principle, pneumonia is divided into serous, catarrhal, serous-catarrhal, catarrhal-purulent, purulent, abscessing, purulent-necrotic, fibrinous, indurative, necrotic, etc.

Symptoms of lobar pneumonia are general weakness, fever. Above 39 ° C, shortness of breath, cyanosis. Over the affected lobe of the lung, dullness of percussion sound is canceled, bronchial breathing, crepitus, pleural friction noise are heard. Focal bronchopneumonia is characterized by a sluggish, wet, painful cough, easily provoked by percussion of the chest. In the lung fields, foci of dullness of the percussion sound are revealed, bronchovesicular breathing and moist fine bubbling sonorous rales are heard.

Diagnostics

Hematological research methods in bronchopneumonia reveal neutrophilic leukocytosis with a shift to the left, lymphopenia, eosinopenia, monocytosis, increased ESR, a decrease in reserve alkalinity, a decrease in the catalase activity of erythrocytes, a relative decrease in the albumin fraction of blood serum and an increase in globulin fractions of proteins, a decrease in the degree of saturation of arterial blood hemoglobin with oxygen.

The most objective and accurate diagnostic method is selective X-ray examination. In the initial stages, X-rays in the apical and cardiac lobes of the lungs reveal homogeneous foci of shading with uneven contours, blurring of the pulmonary field in the cranial regions of the lungs, and veiled anterior border of the heart. In chronic bronchopneumonia with localized lesions, light, dense, well-contoured foci of shading are visible in the region of the apical and cardiac lobes. In this case, the anterior border of the heart in most cases is almost invisible. In patients with chronic confluent forms of bronchopneumonia with diffuse lesions of the lungs, X-ray examination reveals diffuse, extensive, intense shading density in the anterior and lower parts of the lung field. The boundaries of the heart, the cardio-diaphragmatic triangle and the contours of the ribs in the affected areas are not distinguished.

For mass research on large livestock farms, a fluorographic method for the differential diagnosis of bronchopneumonia of various forms in calves, sheep and pigs was proposed (R. G. Mustakimov, 1970).

In some cases, to clarify the diagnosis, a biopsy from the affected areas of the lungs, bronchography, bronchophotography, examination of tracheal mucus, nasal discharge, and other research methods are used. During clinical examination, selective post-mortem autopsies with a histological examination of animals suspected of having a disease and killed for diagnostic purposes are recommended.

With bronchitis, an increase in body temperature is absent or weakly expressed, dull areas of the lungs are not established, leukocytosis is not expressed, and no shadowed foci in the lungs are detected during X-ray examination.

Unlike croupous pneumonia, bronchopneumonia does not show the suddenness of the disease, the staging of the course, the constant type of fever, the lobar foci of dullness in the first days of the disease, the fibrinous outflow from the nasal openings.

Symptomatic remedies are effective, as in bronchitis, for a period of 7 days, but it is necessary to immediately introduce broad-spectrum antibiotics in high doses. With viral infections, this is only as an addition to the treatment of the underlying disease. In the case of a severe course of the disease, glucocorticoids, cardiac glycosides and agents that improve blood circulation are also prescribed.

bacterial pneumonia

Cough, the leading clinical sign of inflammation in the lungs, is a very common symptom of many diseases in dogs and cats. Therefore, the diagnosis of pneumonia cannot be made only on the basis of the results of a clinical examination, an X-ray examination is required. Taking into account the data of the anamnesis of life and illness, it is possible to distinguish patients from the risk group, which should be examined most carefully.

Coughing in puppies purchased from a pet store, market, shelter, or picked up from the street can be a sign of both bronchotracheitis and canine distemper.

Coughing dogs and cats with a high fever, lack of appetite, indifferent to the outside world must definitely undergo an X-ray examination; many patients with pneumonia have no fever, and some even remain normal activity.

Dogs with suspected megaesophagus should be screened for pneumonia, and patients with a confirmed diagnosis should have periodic x-rays.

Kittens with an acute upper respiratory tract infection in the absence of a positive trend in treatment should undergo an x-ray examination.

It is important to remember that bacterial pneumonia is a secondary process that complicates the course of the underlying disease. Therefore, the main task of the doctor is to recognize this disease, make the correct diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment. And this may require additional diagnostic procedures and consultations of specialists, for example, a cardiologist, oncologist, etc.

Assessment of the condition of an animal with pneumonia

The condition of an animal with pneumonia can be assessed as:

Stable - the animal has a strong cough, but maintains a good appetite and normal activity. Such patients can be treated at home.

Unstable - poor appetite, or lack of it, lethargy and apathy, it is required to place the patient in a hospital.

Critical - the body does not receive the required amount of oxygen; the patient requires oxygen therapy and / or artificial ventilation of the lungs, as well as round-the-clock monitoring.

The prognosis for pneumonia is cautious. It all depends on the primary problem in each individual animal.

Aspiration pneumonia

Inflammation of the lungs resulting from inhalation of water, food, vomit. Aspiration occurs in drowning animals, in diseases of the central nervous system, obturation of the esophagus by a foreign body, loss of consciousness, anesthesia with a full stomach, at the time of swallowing. Severe aspiration pneumonia is rare. A severe course of the disease occurs with high acidity of the aspirated masses.

Symptoms.

At the first moment, the phenomena of hemodynamic shock rapidly increase in the animal, but then, when the airways are released, the condition improves. Further, the picture becomes similar to ordinary bronchopneumonia. The localization of radiographic opacities in the lungs is determined by the position of the dog's body at the time of aspiration. The most typical are caudoventral opacities.

These phenomena always occur urgently, therefore, if possible, the doctor himself performs emergency measures or instructs the owner by phone about first aid. At the first moment, the animal is placed in a head-down position, and 2-3 minutes after the main mass of the foreign body drains, 3 sharp lateral compressions of the chest are performed to push out the remnants. With deep aspiration, the aspirated masses are aspirated from the trachea and main bronchi using a probe. Then a 4.2% solution of sodium bicarbonate is injected there, thus washing the airways twice. In addition, broad-spectrum antibiotics, bronchospasmolytics and glucocorticoids are prescribed. With the phenomena of intractable shock, the prognosis is unfavorable.

Septic and thromboembolic pneumonia

There are rarely. Hematogenous spread of microbes (streptococci, staphylococci, Escherichia coli, etc.) against the background of a decrease in the body's natural resistance (overload, operations, therapy with glucocorticoids or cytostatics) determines the development of the disease.

The phenomena of septicopyemia come to the fore: high body temperature, general weakness, anorexia, shortness of breath (may be severe), cough (mildly expressed). The phenomena of endo- and myocarditis, polyarthritis, etc. join. Auscultation does not give definite data. On the radiograph in the diaphragmatic lobes, disseminated multiple unsharp spotty foci of darkening. Treatment is carried out for 10-14 days with broad-spectrum antibiotics and agents that improve blood circulation.

The diagnosis is confirmed by the study of sputum and feces for eggs and worm larvae.

Mycotic pneumonia

Rarely registered. They occur in certain regions of the country and are caused by pathogenic fungi such as proactinomycetes. Mycotic pneumonia may occur secondary to prolonged use of aminoglycoside antibiotics. Pneumonia of mycotic origin is indicated by the presence of symptoms of chronic inflammation of the respiratory organs simultaneously with damage to the skin, mucous membranes, lymph nodes, central nervous system and bones. At the same time, a whitish coating is sometimes found on the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and mouth. X-ray examination reveals changes only in primary mycoses. Histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis and nocardiosis are accompanied by a strong increase in bronchial lymph nodes and darkening in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe roots of the lungs. Primary foci in blastomycosis and histoplasmosis give round shadows in the lungs, resembling tumor metastases. Nocardiosis and actinomycosis are almost always accompanied by purulent pleurisy. The diagnosis is established by examining samples of pleural exudate or bronchial secretions. Filamentous fungi are found. An additional indication may be the resistance of a sick animal to conventional therapy. But a cure is possible. Effective use of amphotericin B for 4 weeks. and more (to avoid relapse). In the process of treatment, the mucous membranes are additionally treated with Lugol's solution.

Uremic pneumonia

Inflammation of the lungs associated with uremia, as the latter predisposes to pulmonary edema and bacterial infection.

Treatment: prescribe antibiotics and drugs against uremia.

Animal Hantavirus Pneumonia Syndrome

The reservoir and sources of the pathogen have not been precisely established; they are believed to be deer or white-footed mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) that have been found to carry a similar Muerto Canyon virus in the field.

Atelectatic pneumonia

It occurs due to the formation of insufficiently ventilated, collapsed or airless areas in the lungs (hypopneumatosis and atelectasis). Predominantly emaciated, weakened animals get sick. Sheep are more likely to get sick, less often horses, pigs and cattle.

Etiology.

The cause of atelectatic pneumonia is the acquisition of a herd with an underdeveloped mold. This happens with inadequate feeding of pregnant animals (lack of protein, mineral components, vitamins and other essential substances in the diet). As a result, underdeveloped young animals with increased susceptibility to the disease are born. Predisposing causes are overcrowded content (especially in insufficiently ventilated rooms with an increased concentration of harmful gases), hypogalactia of the uterus, lack of walking and active exercise.

Treatment of pneumonia

The goal of the treatment is to stabilize the general condition of the patient so that the owners have the opportunity to treat their pet at home, since the duration of therapy is several weeks. If the animal has a good appetite, he is prescribed antibiotics in tablets with food, a course of physiotherapy and periodic x-ray examinations to monitor the dynamics of the disease.

Animals isolated with lobar pneumonia are considered suspected of infectious disease. Therefore, they are placed in a separate isolated room or isolation room, and the room from which the patients are isolated is disinfected. Until the exact diagnosis is clarified, new animals are not introduced into this room.

In calm weather, patients are kept in the summer under shady canopies or in the shade of trees. The best quality green grass, hay, fodder carrots are introduced into the diet of herbivores. Drinking water is not limited.

The main goal of drug treatment is the impact on the pathogenic bacterial microflora, aimed at its destruction and inhibition of reproduction. Etiotropic bacterial therapy is carried out immediately after the diagnosis is established, for which novarsenol, miarsenol, antibiotics or sulfanilamide preparations are used at maximum doses.

In the case of inpatient treatment, the patient is prescribed the following therapeutic measures: - Antibiotic therapy

In a hospital setting, antibacterial drugs are used in the form of injections. It is important that the active substance of the drug penetrates into pus and sputum, not all antibiotics are capable of this. Doctors try to prescribe a combination of antibiotics that complement each other's action to cover the entire spectrum of gram-positive and gram-negative, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. In each case, before starting antibiotic therapy, an antibiotic sensitivity test should be performed. To do this, you need to get a tracheal washout. The procedure is performed under sedation. The resulting secret is sent to a bacteriological laboratory, where it is sown on nutrient media, a pure bacterial culture is isolated and titrated for sensitivity to antibiotics. In parallel with the washings, the histology of the bronchi is taken, which is important for the patient's prognosis.

Physiotherapy

In this case, this is a special massage for better sputum separation. Rapid tapping of the chest contributes to the secretion in the lungs and its removal into the lumen of the bronchi. Once in the respiratory tract, the discharge provokes a cough, which ensures the rapid removal of sputum. This procedure must be carried out at least 4 times a day and as long as the animal continues to cough.

Light physical activity also contributes to a more efficient secretion. It is recommended to avoid overexertion due to respiratory failure. This issue requires an individual approach.

Oxygen therapy

Its appointment is necessary for severe respiratory failure. For the same reason, artificial ventilation may be required. Room air contains about 20% oxygen, and in the gas mixture during oxygen therapy - 40%. A higher concentration is not recommended due to the toxic effect of pure oxygen on lung tissue. A patient requiring this type of therapy is usually in a critical condition.

Infusion therapy ("droppers")

Infusion therapy is carried out in animals that show signs of decompensation (shortness of breath, vomiting, loose stools, refusal to feed). Such therapy should be carried out in a hospital, since the condition of animals with respiratory failure is severe and it is important to carefully monitor such indicators as urine output per hour, an increase in shortness of breath. This cannot be done at home, as there is a risk of developing pulmonary or cerebral edema.

home care

Once the patient regains normal appetite, treatment can be continued at home. And in this case, the owner and his family members are required to strictly follow the rules:

Do not allow your pet to stay in cold damp air for a long time. In inclement and frosty weather, it is better to stay at home.

Tapping massage 4 times a day, light physical activity to stimulate cough.

Do not suppress cough with specific cough suppressants. It is necessary to regularly remove the infected secret from the respiratory tract.

Apply antibiotics as directed. The course of treatment - up to several weeks.

The patient requires periodic x-ray examinations.

Discuss any changes in the treatment regimen with your doctor.



Croupous pneumonia (pneumonia crouposa) is an acute disease common to almost all types of farm animals.

As an independent process, lobar pneumonia occurs in contagious pleuropneumonia (horse), peripneumonia (cattle) and hemospticemia (small and cattle, deer, pigs), as a complication - and also quite frequent - in swine fever, calf paratyphoid and some other diseases.

Lobar pneumonia affects all age groups, but it takes the most typical and striking forms in adult animals (see below for the features of lobar pneumonia in young animals).

Pathologically, croupous pneumonia is an acute exudative inflammation characterized by the accumulation of fibrinous exudate in the airways (alveoli, bronchi), rapid involvement of large areas of the organ in the process - lobarity and. finally, in contrast to bronchopneumonia, the predominant spread along the lymphatic pathways is the interstitium of the lungs, and not along the bronchial tree.

It is customary to distinguish between the following stages of development of lobar pneumonia: a rush of blood, red and gray hepatization and resolution.

The stage of the tide, or damming of blood, is expressed in a sharp hyperemia of the vessels, especially the respiratory capillaries. The lumen of the alveoli contains serous fluid, erythrocytes, and desquamated epithelium.

Macroscopically affected parts are slightly enlarged, dark red in color and moderately dense in consistency. Their incision surface is smooth and when pressed, a bloody fluid is separated. Pieces of the lung, immersed in water, float heavily, but do not sink, which indicates the presence of air in the alveoli.

The stage of red hepatization is characterized by increasing diapedesis of erythrocytes and sweating of plasma proteins, in particular fibrinogen.

On microscopy, in addition to a sharp hyperemia of the respiratory capillaries, a fibrin network of various densities, many red blood cells and a small number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes are found in the alveoli.

Macroscopically affected parts are sharply enlarged, dark red or red-brown, dense. Their cut surface is dry and indistinctly granular, since the exudate is relatively poor in fibrin. Granularity is due to the contraction of the elastic tissue of the lungs during the incision, as a result of which the fibrinous plugs of the alveoli protrude on the surface in the form of grains. In the stage of red hepatization, the lung tissue does not contain air, and its pieces immersed in water sink.

The stage of gray hepatization is more extended in time. At this stage, there is a gradual discoloration of the affected parts, which first take on a gray-red color, and then gray, which is explained, on the one hand, by the attenuation of hyperemia and diapedesis of erythrocytes, on the other hand, by increased fibrin deposition, cell-reactive processes (desquamation and proliferation of the alveolar epithelium) and emigration of leukocytes, which in the stage of gray hepatization takes on a massive character.

Macroscopically, as with red hepatization, the altered lobes are sharply enlarged, even more dense and dry, gray in color.

The development of the described stages of the process usually does not occur simultaneously in different parts of the lungs, which is why the cut surface of the altered lobes acquires a mottled, marbled appearance, and the degree of marbling depends on the nature of the process: the sharper it is, the less pronounced marbling, and vice versa.

The stage of resolution is considered as a favorable outcome of croupous pneumonia, which is covered by regeneration. It is associated with the liquefaction and dissolution of fibrin by leukocyte enzymes; at the same time, the leukocytes themselves undergo obesity and decay and give the entire surface of the incision of the paralyzed lung a gray-yellow color, which is why in such cases they also say gray-yellow hepatization.

Macroscopically, in the stage of resolution, the affected lobes gradually lose their density. They become soft and flabby, when pressed from the surface of the incision, they separate a cloudy, gray-yellow or reddish mass, similar to pus.

Subsequently, the liquid masses of the exudate are removed by suction through the lymphatic channels, partly by coughing through the bronchi, after which the regeneration of the alveolar and bronchial epithelium occurs.

Fibrinous inflammation of the lungs most often affects the apical, middle and anterior - the lower parts of the main lobes, from where the process can spread to most, and sometimes to the entire main share.

Croupous pneumonia of young animals has its own characteristics: they include:

the poverty of the exudate with fibrin, as a result of which the hepatization proceeds sluggishly;

strongly pronounced desquamation of the alveolar epithelium, so that the exudate approaches catarrhal in character;

lack of a sign of lobarity (pneumonic foci are more like lobular ones).

With croupous pneumonia, as a rule, the interstitial tissue (interlobular, peribronchial) of the pleura is affected. Interstitial tissue is found impregnated with serofibrinous effusion, and its inflamed lymphatic vessels (lymphangitis) are sharply dilated and partially thrombosed.

Inflammation of the perivascular lymphatic sheaths can easily spread to the walls of blood vessels, resulting in widespread thrombosis of the latter.

Finally, the intimate contact of the lymphatic systems of the interstitial tissue of the lungs and the subpleura makes it clear that the pleura itself is involved in the pathological process. The latter is affected in the bulk of cases of croupous pneumonia, so that in practice the disease should be considered as pleuropneumonia.

Pleurisy usually occurs in the early stages of the disease and is limited to the area of ​​the parietal lobes. Less commonly, they become more widespread and go beyond the specified limits (sometimes the pericardium and peritoneum are affected).

By the nature of pleurisy are fibrinous or serous-fibrinous inflammation.

In the first case, serous sheets are covered with dense and dryish films or thick, compact masses of fibrin; in the second case, these films have a loose and spongy appearance of beaten egg white, and in the pleural cavities they find a cloudy serous fluid with fibrin flakes suspended in it.

The further fate of pleuritic exudate can be expressed in the fact that leukocyte enzymes dissolve fibrin, after which it is absorbed by the lymphatic pathways, while the serous cover regenerates. However, much more often, especially with massive deposits of exudate, there is an outcome in the organization, with the formation of connective tissue lesions on the pleura, and with the defeat of both sheets (visceral and parietal) - connective tissue adhesions, first tender and loose, later dense fibrous.

In addition, in some cases, there is a purulent transformation of exudate (pleural empyema).

The outcome of croupous pneumonia of animals in resolution, apparently, is rare: severe damage to the lymphatic vessels and their thrombosis exclude the possibility of resorption of the exudate. Most often, an outcome in carnification is observed. Carnification is based on the process of organizing fibrinous exudate and replacing it with young, vascular-rich connective tissue. The affected parts of the lungs become dark red in color and resemble meat in color and texture. Later, due to the transformation of granulation tissue into scar tissue, the affected lobes thicken and wrinkle, and their color turns from dark red to whitish.

Complications of croupous pneumonia are necrosis, gangrene and suppuration. Of these, necrosis is a necessary prerequisite for the emergence of the other two. The origin of necrosis is associated with two points. In some cases, it is the result of the direct action of bacteria or their toxins on the baked tissue of the lungs. Such necroses are delimited from living tissue by a jagged, gray-white color by a demarcation line consisting of accumulations of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and their fragments. Later, granulation tissue develops around it and, finally, fibrous tissue (encapsulation).

In other cases, the appearance of necrosis is due to vascular thrombosis; such necroses in their appearance resemble anemic infarctions and are especially common in bovine peripneumonia.

Gangrene as a complication of croupous pneumonia develops on the basis of the necrosis that preceded it, provided that putrefactive microorganisms are introduced into the dead tissue. Especially often gangrene complicates contagious pleuropneumonia of horses. Significant pathogenetic significance for the occurrence of gangrene, apparently, has a long stasis, accompanied by a significant diapedesis of erythrocytes (hemorrhagic accent of pneumonia).

A prerequisite for the complication of croupous pneumonia by a purulent process are also necrobiotic changes in the hepatized tissue. Therefore, so often necrotizing pneumonias are abscessing.

Anatomical changes are expressed in the appearance of multiple yellow-green abscesses in the parched tissue. Sometimes individual small abscesses merge into one large abscess, but for the most part they remain isolated and subsequently encysted.

Extrapulmonary processes in croupous pneumonia are poorly covered in the veterinary literature. There are only fragmentary indications regarding the degeneration of the kidneys, myocardium and liver. In the latter, stagnation of blood and obesity are often found. In addition, cases of endocarditis observed mainly in pneumonia complicated by sepsis have been reported.

In young animals, in addition to pericarditis, peritonitis sometimes occurs, especially with paratyphoid fever in calves and piglets.

Pathogenesis. There are still many unclear aspects in the pathogenesis of lobar pneumonia. Only the following points have been more or less firmly established.

The process occurs in the form of single or multiple pneumonic foci.

It begins in the respiratory bronchi and spreads both peri- and endobronchially.

Peribronchial spread leads to inflammation of the lymphatic (lymphangitis) and blood vessels and their thrombosis.

The same principle of distribution determines the exit of the process to the pleura.

Endobronchial spread of the process contributes to the appearance of initially small acinous nature of pneumonic foci, through the merging of which and as a result of aspiration of masses of exudate, extensive pneumonia occurs.

The mechanism of formation of primary foci remains unclear. Some researchers defend their hematogenous nature, others (most) - aerogenic. Direct evidence in favor of the first or second route of infection is not yet available. Some indirect considerations and, in particular, the fact of the simultaneous appearance of multiple primary foci and, moreover, in an area with an isolated blood supply (acinus), rather indicate their hematogenous nature.

It is also not entirely clear why inflammation in croupous pneumonia relatively quickly takes on a lobar character. They try to explain lobarity by the allergic nature of the process and the lymphogenous nature of its spread. From this point of view, croupous pneumonia should be considered as a hyperergic inflammation of a sensitized organ, which is proved by the corresponding experiments, as well as some features inherent in croupous pneumonia. These include: rapid coverage of a significant part of the organ by the process, fibrinousness and hemorrhagic exudate, indicating deep tissue damage and, in particular, the vascular wall.

Croupous pneumonia in certain animal species is described in the sections: “Peripneumonia in cattle”, “Contagious pleuropneumonia of horses”, “Hemorrhagic septicemia”.

The disease is characterized by purulent inflammation of the lungs as a result of the drift (metastasis) of a purulent onset from other pathological foci of the body. The involvement of the lungs in the pathological process can be in the form of disseminated (point) foci and abscess.

Etiology. Basically, this is a secondary disease that occurs as a complication of septic processes of various origins: pyosepticemia, purulent inflammation of the uterus, myt, pharyngitis, ulcerative endocarditis, abscesses, purulent wounds, abscesses, surgical interventions.

Pathogenesis. In all cases, pyaemic emboli clog certain blood vessels of the lungs with the formation of hemorrhagic infarctions and pyemic nodules (metastatic form), from which necrotic foci can occur in the lung tissue, large lesions form from their fusion (lung abscess).

This is usually accompanied by the development of sepsis, to varying degrees (usually severe) weakness of the cardiovascular system, loss of strength and frequent death of animals from general sepsis.

Symptoms. The most characteristic are shortness of breath, painful cough, refusal to feed. In the future, with the development of abscesses in the lungs, the animal's condition deteriorates sharply, fever increases to 40-41 ° C, characterized by daily fluctuations in body temperature and, in most animals, sweating.

Auscultation establishes a weakening of respiratory noises, wheezing, bronchial or amphoric breathing. In cases of an abscess rupture, the animal's condition usually improves somewhat, a purulent or mucopurulent fluid, often fetid, flows from the nose. It contains elastic fibers, particles of lung tissue. There are signs of pleurisy.

In the presence of small foci, percussion does not establish deviations from the norm, and in the case of large foci (abscesses), dullness or a tympanic sound that sounds nearby is observed, indicating the development of vicarious emphysema of the lungs. When a large abscess ruptures and empties, the percussion sound may be metallic. With complications on the pleura, auscultation may give pleural friction noises, and percussion may be painful.

pathological changes. In the lungs, single or multiple abscesses are found, mostly superficial, ranging in size from a pea to a walnut, the inner surface of which is villous, the surrounding tissue is compacted and does not contain air. Often hepatized entire lobes of the lung, the cut surface of which is dotted with small grayish-yellow spots. Over time, they can be encapsulated in a connective tissue membrane with a curd mass inside. The pleura in places of superficially located foci is affected by serous-fibrinous or purulent inflammation.

Diagnosis. The presence of a purulent process in the lungs * in most cases can only be assumed. It can be confused with chronic pneumonia, purulent pleurisy and other lung diseases, which themselves may be secondary.

X-ray examination has the most important diagnostic value, although for the final diagnosis of the disease, all the clinical symptoms and the course of the disease should be taken into account.

In the differential diagnostic 1 relation, other diseases of the respiratory system should be excluded on the basis of their characteristic clinical manifestations and special research methods.

Forecast. With the development of general sepsis and collapse - unfavorable. In other cases - doubtful. With the possibility of eliminating the underlying disease, the prognosis may be favorable.

Treatment. Sick animals need good maintenance, they are prescribed antistreptococcal serum, auto-hemotherapy, immune preparations, ASD-2 is administered orally, hydrolysates subcutaneously, antibiotics and sulfanilamide preparations. Heat in all forms is shown on the chest, heart preparations.

Prevention follows from the etiology and consists mainly in the prevention of lung diseases and the timely treatment of sick animals.