Our almost 13 year old dalmatian developed a cough a few months back. It was hard for her to go on walks because the coughing was so bad. Got her checked out and nothing really stood out. Chest x-ray was not done at this time. Plus she was actually acting better. Since she was having trouble walking we held off 'til the cough was gone.

When we started back walking her normal stamina was gone. I didn't push her hard and instead tried to gradually help her regain her stamina. It just wasn't getting any better.

Got her to the vet today. Chest x-rays show a small amount of fluid on her lungs and an enlarged heart. Vet said it was early stages of CHF.

He advised me of the current severity and options for treatment to think about. He said lasix (sp?) was commonly used to help the fluid on the lungs. He mentioned another drug that would help ease the burden on her heart that was commonly used with CHF. I don't remember the name of that drug.

Anyway, I was curious of anyones experience with this.

What medicine, if any, did you use? Did you have good success with it?

Any dietary additions/changes that might help? (raw fed)

What about exercise now? I know she needs it, but I DON'T want to over-do it.

I am currently computer poor and am getting on family's computer when I can. I will respond back to any additional questions or comments as soon as I can.

Thanks!

Hi Michael,

I'm so sorry about the diagnosis.

One of our clients used a newer drug for her Cavalier King Charles. It's called Pimobendan and it is supposed to be very effective:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/60791.php
http://www.jaaha.org/cgi/content/abstract/42/2/90
http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2006&PID=15745&O=Generic

I'm not a doctor so I don't know if it would be helpful in your dog's case but it might be worth asking either your regular DVM or consulting with a cardiologist.

I think exercise is important for health and quality of life. If she's happy walking with you then you should continue doing so. I'd avoid hills, avoid going super long distances, avoid over-exertion and exhaustion, and avoid doing so in extreme temperatures if at all possible. Maybe this is overly cautious...I tend to be a worry-wart with this kind of stuff

Hi Michael,

We are currently going through the same thing as you. Our Cocker has developed CHF and she has been on Lasix for about 4 months now. The x-rays showed early stages so we don't know how long she's got. The coughing spells come and go at different levels of intensity. The lasix seems to help but I think we'll look into the Pimobendan that Sarah suggested to see if it works any better. Sucks.

Howard

Michael & Howard,

FWIW, and to give you both some comfort, the dogs I saw come through our doors with early-stage CHF lived happy and comfortable lives despite the prognosis. And they lived several years after being diagnosed with medication and routine supportive care. They had good days and bad days but, overall, they seemed to enjoy a good quality of life. They did not spend an extraordinary amount of time at the vet hospital; actually far, far less than animals with problems like kidney failure, diabetes, and cancer.

Every case is different but that's my experience based on what I observed and heard working in a vet hospital. I hope that helps a little.

Thanks Sarah and Howard.

Those links will give me something to think about and take back to the vet.

He was very positive with what he saw. He also assured me that we will know if her quality of life gets bad enough. I hate wondering if dogs are uncomfortable and not knowing.

The diagnosis was actually a relief for us. Same reason as above. We knew something was wrong, but had no idea why she was having trouble walking. Now we know and can take the proper steps for care.

At rest and moving about the house with us she is fine. Out in the back yard and woods she is fine. The problems would arise on walks. Now we'll just take long strolls. Not trying to get anywhere, just smelling around on slow walks.

Thanks for you guys experiences with this.

Michael,

I am sorry to hear about your Dal. I am sure you will do what you need to for her and she will have a GREAT quality of life.

This thread is a good one, the links are definitely something to bookmark.

Thanks Sarah.

Michael,

My last dog was diagnosed with CHF four months prior to his death; his short life span after diagnoses was due to other complication caused by his diabetes. What I did want to mention was that some of these heart medication can be very expensive and what I did was go on line to some of these vet supply places and found the drug we were using at a $1.00 a pill cheaper then what my vet was selling them to me for. I printed out the sheet showing the cost savings and took it in to my vet and she agreed to sell me the pills at the same price saving us a considerable amount of money. Since your dog will have to be on her heart medications for the rest of her life you may want to do what I did, maybe your own vet will be just as willing to sell you the medication at a reduced rate like mine did. Worth looking into.

Good Luck,

Thanks Carol. We're gonna' do whatever we can. I'm just happy we got her switched to raw. She's one of those decoration dogs. Really doesn't care to do much other than sit in the corner and watch everybody. Now she looks foward to something. Eating. Now she knows 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. very accurately!

Sarah, I looked over those links and did some searching on my own. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That drug looks very promising. Very grateful for your mentioning it.

Peggy, I will definately look around for the best price. I live in a very small town with 2 other vets nearby and a ton within 30 miles. Plus the internet like you said. Those make good incentives for the vet to give me a good price on the meds. :wink: Thanks.

The vet agreed that Pimobendan looked like the way to go. This is his first time prescribing it, but other vets he called on to research it liked it a lot.

Her CHF is very mild and is only in the beginning stages. As few of symptoms she had, I really feel this should put her back to pre-symptom Domino.

I'll post back with any observations, deterioration, or hopefully improvement.

Thanks again for the previous post of support.

And a special thanks to Sarah for the drug recommendations.