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We had to have our 15 year old Maltese put to sleep 3 days ago due to congestive heart failure. Our hearts are broken, but we just could not bear to see her suffer. She was diagnosed about 6 months ago and was treated with enalapril. Her syptoms began with coughing. An X-ray showed that her heart was enlarged. When she started taking enalapril the coughing decreased dramatically. However, after about 5 months the coughing began to increase. Our vet added lasix to help drain the fluids around her heart and lungs. For about 3 weeks she seemed better, but 3 days ago her violent coughing woke me up in the middle of the night. I found her in the kitchen on the floor lying in her poo and pee. She could not stop coughing and her breathing was labored. She was taking 53 breaths per minute so I knew that it was time. Since it was a Sunday, we took her to the emergency clinic where our daughter-in-law is a vet tech. We were told that her medications could be increased and she could live another few weeks or months. As hard a decision as it was we did not want her to suffer and have to go through this again so we had her put to sleep. The same day she passed, we were on our boat and saw a double rainbow. We saw this as a sure sign that she had arrived safely in heaven. We know she is in a better place, but our home is so empty without her.
Last edited by Sher4264; 08-24-2016 at 03:39 AM..
Reason: spelling corrections
I am so sorry to hear of having to help your baby to the bridge. I have a little Pommie rescued from a high kill shelter. WE don't know how old other than really old since he has no teeth. HE was diagnosed with grade 5/6 CHF on May 17, 2014. The vets told us he had 6-12 months. He is still here with us, but I fear beginning the end of his battle, Of course I pray he will rally, but if not, we will help him to the bridge so he is no longer in pain.
It's likely The Time I'll need to finally put my Chloe to Rest In Peace sometime in the next day or two... trying to enjoy every moment with her tonight, knowing what's coming. She's only been coughing badly for about 5 weeks...CHF. She's about 15 yrs, a black toy poodle. Wow; sadness overwhelms me... so very hard. I love her...& better than this? She loves me.
It's likely The Time I'll need to finally put my Chloe to Rest In Peace sometime in the next day or two... trying to enjoy every moment with her tonight, knowing what's coming. She's only been coughing badly for about 5 weeks...CHF. She's about 15 yrs, a black toy poodle. Wow; sadness overwhelms me... so very hard. I love her...& better than this? She loves me.
I'm sorry about your Chloe. It's very hard to do but it is the final act of love and kindness we can show them. When I've been faced with the same, while the vet is doing his part, I hold my pup in my arms so my body, my voice and breath, my heart...are familiar and comforting to my pup. My vet lets us stay like this for as long as I want. It does help.
I know your Chloe will rest in peace finally...CHF is a hard thing to go thru.
I have a pom that is 10 1/2 he was diagnoised with a grade 5 heart murmur in march about 9 months ago and we went back to the vet for another round of test and seems his numbers and his heart got a little bigger .he has been fine up until about a month ago and the coughing started not that bad though at this time but I guess its part of the progression.he still eats /drinks/plays so I am thankfull he is not that bad right now.he is not in any pain or suffering at this point.he is also on vet med / sildenafil/tussigon.they say his pulmonary hypertension is now severe/also chronic degenerative valve disease.i guess all I can do now is take good care of him like I have been.but when things get worse I just pray god takes him in his sleep.
My 10yr old Boston Terrier was said to have congestive heart failure..all the aymptoms Ive looked at said there is a cough, which he doesnt have..but he does have shortness of breath and alot of nasel discharge. Is this a sign? He is eating and using the bathroom
My 10yr old Boston Terrier was said to have congestive heart failure..all the aymptoms Ive looked at said there is a cough, which he doesnt have..but he does have shortness of breath and alot of nasel discharge. Is this a sign? He is eating and using the bathroom
I had to put my 13 year old Boston Terrier to sleep a couple of weeks ago due to right sided heart failure. She never did any coughing, and I never even could tell anything was wrong until I noticed one day her breathing seemed a bit labored, and her appetite decreased. She could inhale just fine, but it seemed she struggled to push the air back out. After x-rays we learned she had fluid around her lungs.
The vet put her on Vetmedin and furosemide, but unfortunately it just didn't seem to help her. In her final days she stopped eating all together, and forcing the medicines on her just seemed to make her feel worse. I knew the fluid build up would eventually cause her to suffocate to death, and I was not going to allow that to happen, so I made the tough decision to put my baby girl to sleep.
This is the second dog I have lost to heart failure, the first was a Border Collie, also 13. It was the same way with her, no symptoms at all until suddenly one day there was labored breathing and no appetite. When they stop eating foods that they normally love, you know there's a serious problem.
Last edited by southernnaturelover; 12-29-2016 at 05:44 PM..
I have a pom that is 10 1/2 he was diagnoised with a grade 5 heart murmur in march about 9 months ago and we went back to the vet for another round of test and seems his numbers and his heart got a little bigger .he has been fine up until about a month ago and the coughing started not that bad though at this time but I guess its part of the progression.he still eats /drinks/plays so I am thankfull he is not that bad right now.he is not in any pain or suffering at this point.he is also on vet med / sildenafil/tussigon.they say his pulmonary hypertension is now severe/also chronic degenerative valve disease.i guess all I can do now is take good care of him like I have been.but when things get worse I just pray god takes him in his sleep.
Yes, all you can do now is take good care of him and watch for signs that he is failing (weakness, extreme shortness of breath, inability tolerate activity, no longer eating, etc.). The fact that he is still eating and playing is a good sign. My dog (65 pounds) was only supposed to last 5-6 months, according to the vet cardiologist, but he lived 18 months. Vetmedin/pimobendan was a brand-new drug at that time, and I do think that when they added that to his medications, he improved a lot. That's probably why he lived so long. I did let him eat whatever he wanted, just to make sure he was getting enough calories.
My 10yr old Boston Terrier was said to have congestive heart failure..all the aymptoms Ive looked at said there is a cough, which he doesnt have..but he does have shortness of breath and alot of nasel discharge. Is this a sign? He is eating and using the bathroom
My dog never coughed. The first clue I had was that he was panting all the time. He continued to pant for the remaining 18 months he lived.
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