"Still haven't been told exactly what is wrong, but he said the Cefazolin was an strong antibiotic and that she doesn't have any fever now, I didn't know she did before, but I thought she felt a bit hot. She is still coughing if she tries to bark or if she gets excited and moves a lot."
Urge you to pin down the vet for a solid diagnosis. You have every right to know what he thinks is going on.
Question. Did he run a blood test before he cleaned her teeth? Our vet insists upon that in order to be sure no underlying illness is present. Other question being, what type of anesthesia did he give her? Today most vets rely on a combination of sedation and aerrane gas -- which is much, much safer than the old-fashioned IV sedation that could sometimes overwhelm their systems.
Got curious about Cefazolon. I don't always trust medical websites so I checked more than one. According to what I read, Cefazolon is an antibiotic that's used on a wide range of infections - most commonly of the skin, urinary tract, bones, and/or the respiratory tract. All the sites reported the drug is often used to treat infections until culture results are available. Can't remember, did your vet culture Maggie? Sounds like it would have been a good idea.
Info also stated that possible side effects of the med are rare. Which is good since she's such a little girl. Negative effects include drooling, rapid breathing, rashes and excitability. Sorry, if I'm repeating what you've already been told. Just want to be sure you're up to speed.
Best to you and Maggie. Agree that it would probably be wisest for you to check on her throughout the night. Once again, take care and good luck.
Couldn't agree more. The following is regarding a cat,but the vet behavior applies to dogs also. My cat was diagnosed as having hyperthyroidism by our local vet and placed on a daily medication (tapazole). His appetite decreased and he was then put on an appetite stimulant as well as the tapazole. He continued to lose appetite and became listless. Took him back again with the question was the medication causing this condition - was assured that his problems were not medication was not medication caused. He stopped eating almost completely except from cured ham which the vet said was bad for him and he should not be given the only food he would still eat. Long story short: I badgered the vet for a referral to a specialist who subsequently diagnosed an adverse drug reaction, took him off the medication and said to feed him all the ham he wanted. He is much better now and we are awaiting a slot for radioiodine treatment that is the long term solution for his problem which is thyroid tumors.
Moral of the story, question the vet and get second opinions.