Enalapril?

[LindaTX]

My vet recently put our dog, Barney on Enalapril for treatment of having had a history of heartworms.  He is 11 yrs old and was diagnosed by another vet with heartworms at age 8 or 9 and we were told to keep him on a monthly dose of Heartguard, which we have done.  The heartworms are gone but Barney, over the last few months has developed a hacking cough.  The vet put him on Enalapril about 2 mo. ago.  It has not seemed to help....does this mean his heart is failing and if so, what can we do?

[skydnsr]

Coughing upon exertion is also consistent with congestive heart failure.  When you talk to the vet again, don't be surprised if he or she wants to add a diuretic, to take some of the fluid off of Barney's lungs.  Excess fluid is probably what is making him cough.  When the heart gets weak, it just can't pump hard enough to keep all the fluid in the body circulating normally, and the lungs are a place where fluid tends to back up.  

With careful management, you may be able to keep Barney going for a while longer, with good quality of life.  In terms of how long he can live, you will want to be realistic about the normal lifespan for whatever his breed is, and then make an adjustment for the fact that he has a serious condition.  For a lot of breeds, 11 years is about the average lifespan.  For small breeds (if he is a small breed), the expected lifespan may be longer.  

The vet should be able to give you some feedback about the normal lifespan for a healthy dog of Barney's breed.  That will give you a kind of yardstick to go by.  You will be trying to get as close to that number of years as possible.  If he has already lived the expected number of years for his breed, then the outlook for additional years of life is more guarded.  Quality of life is always more important for an old, sick dog than quantity of life, in my humble opinion.

Try not to beat yourself up about not putting Barney on HW prevention initially, because you didn't know.  Now you know, and you will certainly do this for your future dogs.  All owners learn as they go along.  I feel terrible about some things that I did not know with my first dog, in the 1990's, but I loved her, and I took care of her the best I knew how.  That is all that one can do.  Your concern for Barney is very dear.  

[LindaTX]

Thanks Skydnsr, he is an outside dog and has always had so much energy.  He still runs and plays but that is when he starts the hacking cough...sometimes it lingers into a wheeze.  I feel if we'd had him on heartworm prevention from the very beginning this would have never happened.  My poor dog!  I'm going to ask the vet about something called Benazecare.  We love Barney and hope he has a few yrs of quality life in him yet!

[LindaTX]

So sorry about his diagnosis. I will take Barney and get his kidney function checked. I wonder if anything can stop his coughing?  I feel so bad for him.

[WilsonsMom]

He was young (2-4?) when I got him MANY yr ago. He is now likely (14-16?)

He is in kidmey failure and we are so very sad. So sad.

I can't help big wonder if his dose was lower and we checked his labs and changed to kidney supportive food if we might've preserved function and lengthened his little precious life.

He's been on meds for maybe 3yr? Give or take.

Encourage water consumption too.

Best wishes.

[LindaTX]

Thanks for the information, WilsonsMom.  How old is your dog?  And how long has he been on the meds.?  

[WilsonsMom]

My dog has a hx of heart murmur. As he aged he developed cough also. Began enalapril and lasix (diuretic) for congestive heart. It has helped but I think contributed to kidney issues. Difficult balance. Discuss both with your vet and get labs please to check kidney function to ensure his tolerance of meds and minimize dosage if possible. Good luck.