Symptoms:

If your dog develops pneumonia, the first two things you may notice are lethargy and loss of appetite. Some hounds run fevers, often very high, while others do not.

Probably the most universal symptom in the IW is the typical “pneumonia posture” of extended neck and head, which the wolfhound assumes to make breathing easier and take in more air. The neck and head are lowered, level with the back, and the head is held straight out. Usually a wolfhound with pneumonia will not be comfortable lying on its side.

Most wolfhounds don’t have nasal secretions with pneumonia, although some may. Some may also display rapid or difficult breathing early on. In some cases a hound will appear to have abdominal distress. A dog displaying signs like these needs to see a vet as quickly as possible - suspected pneumonia in an Irish Wolfhound can never be taken lightly.

(from “Pneumonia, What You Need to Know”, by Kathy Wilson, IWF Newsletter, The Focus, Fall, 2005)