What should I know about congestive heart failure and dogs?
Asked by
Jude (
32198
)
March 20th, 2012
I have an almost 16 year old pooch who isn’t doing very well. He sees the vet Thursday morning.
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6 Answers
Has he been diagnosed with a heart condition?
I lost my elderly cat to CHF 2 years ago as a result of a possible heart murmer and advanced thyroid disease that the medication was no longer managing. He had been fine one morning, up for breakfast, went outside and a few hours later I noticed he was panting and gasping for breath. He was euthanized later that afternoon. :-(
Symptoms are weight loss, panting, gasping, lethargy and they can mask the symptoms well until it is too late. Have your vet test him for his heart rate/function/congestion/fluid etc.
I have seen a lot of older dogs have the problem and a few younger ones as well. What kind of dog do you have? 16 is a ripe old age for a smallish dog and amazing for a larger breed! It was treated with the same drugs used for humans with similar problems. I don’t know if that has changed or not in recent years.
Hope all goes well, let us know what the vet has to say.
I’ve cared for other people’s pets with congestive heart conditions (and some grandparents of mine, too). Life becomes a bit of a tight-rope walk of balancing fluids, foods and meds just so.
The last dog I took care of with it was a mini-poodle that lived to be 18 or 19yrs old. She was on the typical cocktail of meds. The poor thing did huff and puff which is quite typical with this condition. She was a fiesty little girl, so I knew she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon (I think I began care when she was about 14yrs old).
If you plan on treating your dog, just know that he’ll require quite a bit more rest on the meds, especially if this is your first time treating his condition.
Mostly Pomeranian with a bit of Chihuahua. I am taking him in today. Going to have bloodwork and, well, the works.
620 bucks later. Someone needs to get out on the corner and sell some ass. That someone isn’t Rudy.
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