Fluid in my dog's chest cavity

[Kona21]

Hello,

As of last Tuesday, my 3 year old whippet/chocolate lab mix named Kona, started having shortness of breath. I took her to the vet on Saturday after it didn't go away. The vet took an x ray and informed me that Kona's chest cavity was full of fluid. The vet drained 1/2 liter of a white milky fluid from her and told me that she has chylothorax. So the vet sent me home with low fat food and also told me to pick up Rutin to help reduce the fat.

Today is Sunday, and I have seen no improvement in my Kona. The only symptom she has is shortness of breath. She still has an appetite and shows no other signs on pain. I am extremely worried because she did not show any signs on improvement after the fluid was drained from her yesterday. I am drviing myself crazy reading up on this on the internet. The vet is going to call me with the test result tomorrow and I am so worried.

If anybody know anything about this, or has an advice, I would really appreciate it. I just lost my boxer last year and can't bear the thought of another dog so soon.

[mil0426]

I have a 9 year old german shepherd Sasha  we have had her from being a pup.everyone loves her because she is so tall but is so soft and loveable. it all came to a head on my birthday the 26th September this year we new she was having problems breathing but just thought it was due to the hot weather we have been having, so we took her to the vets,who sent us for sashas heart to be checked came back no problems with her heart. so they then said they where testing for cancer,meanwhile they drained 3 and a half lites of fluid of her chest and we found out it was chyle so they tested the chyle and found no bactire in it,so we then went back to the vets and they said that she had chylthorex and an operation would sort her out, we took her to Liverpool small animal hospital, that was on the 11th of October the surgon said the next 24 hour where critical .we got a call from the hospital to say she was stable but in intensive care and we got up dates everyday we rang .its now the 20th of October and she is still in ITU she as had more tests more x rays and more ultra sounds but the fluid is still coming out of her chest and she as now been fitted with a feeding tube because she refuses to eat, they have also given her a protein transfusion as her protein as dropped so low, but that as failed.she as had most of her coat cut away for so many tests, all of noavil. we rang this morning because she as now been in ITU 2 weeks and the is no change fluid still coming out they said tomorrow they will give her steroids and see how it goes, my wife and myself have been to hell and back waiting for the bad news,so at the moment she is still very ill. so we have dicided too let them try the steroids and if they don't work we will bring her home pay the bill about £5000.00,could be more and then we will have to decide wheather or not to have her put too sleep at moment we are still prying we get a miricle

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

Hi...I am so sorry to her about your little girl!!  I imagine you are having a difficult time, especially after losing another dog so recently.

Chylothorax is a build up of lymph fluid in the chest cavity.  Lymph carries excess fluid along with white blood cells in a circulatory system similar to our blood circulation.  This system is very important to help keep our immune cells in contact with foreign material so that they can protect us.

Occasionally, something interferes with the circulation of the lymph and it begins to build up in the chest.  Heart problems can be one reason, tumors or masses can be other reasons.   Sometimes, the lymph just accumulates for unknown reasons.

You might want to post this question over in our Ask the Vet Expert forum.   They can give you some better, more professional information than I can.  

I wish you the best of luck and let us know about those test results.