Looking for Advice/Guidance

Species: Canine -
Age: 6 years, 3 months
Sex/Neuter status: Male, Neutered
Breed: Siberian Husky
Body weight: approximately 80 lbs
History: in long description
Clinical signs: in long description
Duration: in long description
Your general location: North Carolina, USA

I'm hoping to get some advice on whether I'm heading in the right direction before I spend a significant amount of money pursuing a referral to a veterinary teaching hospital. I understand no one can diagnose my dog over the internet, but I'd really appreciate any thoughts on what diagnoses or treatment options I should be discussing with my veterinarian.

About my dog:

• Born in Tukwila, WA
• Lived in Tacoma, WA for the first 3 years of his life
• Healthy with no respiratory issues prior to moving to North Carolina in 2023

After moving to NC, we lived in an apartment that eventually developed severe mold problems. Black mold was visible on the HVAC vents and air exchanges, the drywall began crumbling, and despite repeated maintenance requests, repairs were delayed for months. During that time, the HVAC continued circulating air throughout the apartment.

While living there, he developed a wet, hacking cough.

Our primary veterinarian diagnosed bronchitis and treated him with antibiotics and prednisone. His cough resolved completely while on medication, but approximately six weeks after finishing treatment, it returned.

For the past three years, we've repeated this same cycle multiple times. Prednisone improves his symptoms while he's taking it, but the cough always returns after the medication is stopped. Recently, it seems like prednisone isn't working as well or lasting as long as it used to.

In the summer of 2025, I took him to the emergency veterinarian because his cough had worsened. Chest X-rays reportedly showed inflammation and what was described to me as "spider-webbing" in his lungs. He was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis.

Repeat X-rays about four months ago reportedly showed mild persistent inflammation.

He has also been prescribed theophylline in the past, but I didn't notice any improvement long term as his cough came back while on it.

His cough is wet and productive, not the dry "honking" cough that like with Kennel Cough.

I am fully aware that you cannot diagnose throught text alone, I'm just trying to gather information before I request a referral to internal medicine.

My questions are:

1. Could prolonged mold exposure realistically trigger chronic airway disease that persists even after the exposure has ended?
2. Could he have allergic airway disease or another inflammatory condition beyond "chronic bronchitis"?
3. If this were your patient, what additional diagnostics would you recommend?
4. Are there long-term treatment options that are generally more successful than repeated courses of oral prednisone?

One last thing: I'm a teacher, so I have to be thoughtful about how I spend my money. I'm absolutely willing to invest in diagnostics that have a reasonable chance of identifying an underlying cause or changing his treatment plan. What I'm hoping to avoid is an open-ended series of expensive tests that are unlikely to provide meaningful answers. If this truly is something that can only be managed rather than cured, I would rather know that upfront so I can focus on giving him the best quality of life possible.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this. He's been my best friend for six years, and I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I reasonably can to help him.

TL;DR: My 6-year-old Husky has had a chronic wet cough for 3 years that started after prolonged mold exposure. He's been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, and prednisone helps temporarily, but the cough always returns. Before pursuing an expensive referral, I'm looking for advice on what diagnostics or long-term treatments might be worth discussing.