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Aspiration pneumonia

I recently had my puppy who was less than 2 years old pass away from aspiration pneumonia.  I tried everything from antibiotics to oxygen therapy and nebulization treatment. Unfortunately, he just couldn't handle it and 3 days later he was gone.  I've been thinking about it the last couple of months and trying to understand what aspiration pneumonia is and how it caused his death.  The vet explained to me that aspiration pneumonia is an infection that can feel like a chemical burn. What exactly causes death?  Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.
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234713 tn?1283526659
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Aspiration pneumonia causes death because the macrophages in the lungs cannot keep up with the removal of the bacteria growing in the alveolar.  The alveoli become clogged with bacteria and eventually lose all function because the lungs actually drown in the bacteria.  Unfortunately, any foreign substance that gets into the lungs has the potential for causing aspirate pneumonia.
Helpful - 0
187666 tn?1331173345
I'm so sorry about your little dog. That's a rough time for you both.

I've seen aspiration pneumonia in animals, particularly baby squirrels. People mean well and try to help by giving a baby squirrel some fluid by mouth. Problem is it takes a gentle, trained hand to feed a small animal and too often the animal will aspirate (breath in) some of the fluid, food or formula. It gets into the lungs and is a perfect medium for bacteria to grow. And it can be hard to catch it in time. By the time I see the animal at work, it's already non-responsive and having trouble breathing.

The treatment plan was excellent but it's a tough thing to beat. Again, I'm sorry.
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