Congestive heart failure in dogs; when is it time to euthenize?

[jakeandred]

My dog has congestive heart failure.  I believe he is the final stage.  How do I know if he is in pain and if it is time to end his life humanely?

[Cavalier420]

My dog was diagnosed with double sided heart failure, last May, 2015. He did great with meds and sometimes a belly drain to get rid of the fluid buildup. He went from almost dead, to normal doggie. Recently.. he was acting odd.. his breathing was becoming.. a little strained.. not horrid like when he was diagnosed, but something wasn't right. I brought him to the vet on Monday of this week, and they decided to drain his belly and xray. The vet showed me the xrays and told me that she had never seen a heart that big inside of a dog. She also told me we couldn't really change any of his meds, seeing that is all pretty much maxxed, and that this could be his last week. When I brought him home, he acted normal again...happy, hungry..curious.. wanted to go out and eat snow, he payed attention. And, now its Saturday, and as of yesterday I have noticed the straining starting again. The heart eventually cannot supply his body with enough oxygen..and his poor heart is so big. So, I am waiting, til Monday.. if we can. I will bring him in and see what the vet says.. but I can't imagine watching him go back into a horrible state and not being able to breath, or whatever else that could happen. I also cannot imagine him being "put to sleep". I've been thru cancer with a dog.. diabetes with another.. one of my dogs had a blood clot at 5 years old that basically instantly killed her. So, I've been through deaths, and mourning.. and I don't know if it ever gets easier I do know the first is always the hardest..but I've never had a dog who looked "ok" put to sleep..sigh. My heart goes out to all who have furry friends with heart issues. Its not easy to know when to say goodbye..but I think no matter what, there should be no guilt, because you did the best you could. I'm gonna go stare and try to keep my mind off this, it helps to disengage here and there.. hope all you folks have a good night.

[CaboGirl1013]

We are going through this right now. My daughter adopted/rescued a dog February 2015. We took him in a week after she took him to her apartment as she realized school + new doggie with "potential" heart issue = not enough time. We had the pleasure of working with, loving and helping Andy to become a dog (we are fairly certain  he was a neglected puppy mill dog - the rescue said he came from a "breeder" but no breeder is going to let a dog's dental become so bad it affects his/her heart like it did to Andy). Andy is such a great little guy; he really bonded with our other two shih tzu rescues and happily greeted us at the door whenever we'd come home. I've been going through cancer treatment so I've been working from home a LOT. Listening to him cough has been just heart breaking as it seems to get worse. His tongue is pink and up until yesterday, he had a pretty healthy appetite. My daughter made an appointment for tomorrow for me to take him in to the vet; I want their opinion. We've upped him to 3x a day for the diuretic and he is also on vetmedden and another medicine for his heart. He still has perky ears too. I can only say time will tell at this point. My other two fur babies are pretty concerned. They were not real receptive to him at first but now they have their "pack" and as I've already said, have bonded. They know something is wrong with him and you can just tell they are concerned. Keeping my fingers crossed tomorrow will be a false alarm (as to him getting worse).

[lbndonahue]

Ella, my 15-year old Yorkie, was the love of my life. Over the years, I saw her through numerous bouts of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, colitis, and one scary bout of pancreatitis. A little less than a month ago, she was breathing very heavily one night...panting and miserable. I really thought she might die that night. She didn't and seemed absolutely fine the next day. A day later, she froze going down the stairs, and I picked her up and carried her to the front door (thinking it was just age and aches). She collapsed onto the ground, splayed out on her belly, and when I picked her up, urine was pouring out of her. She recovered within minutes. I brought her to the vet the next morning, and he took x-rays and blood. The vet (one of two in the office, and not the one I usually chose....he was on vacation) said the X-rays showed normal aging, nothing alarming. The blood test results came back the next day, and he called to say she had some elevations, but, again, nothing alarming. When she continued to have these collapses (some even worse), I called the other vet and asked him to review the X-rays and blood test results. He said she had a very enlarged heart and was very dehydrated. He told me to "watch her."

A week later, after more collapses, (and urinating in her bed once or twice a day) I brought her back to the vet, and he put her on two meds. This past Sunday, I thought they were finally working, because she had a day without any collapses (after three the previous day) and even had a hearty appetite midday. But that night, she yelped from her bed in the kitchen and when I ran in, she was struggling to breathe. I sat up with her, certain she was going to die. Somehow she made it through the night, and when I brought her to the vet in the morning, they put her on oxygen and diuretics immediately. The vet offered three options: do an echocardiogram to determine what meds might be more effective (suggesting she would be on up to ten meds, twice a day), getting her through that crisis with continued therapy and then repeating at the next crisis, or euthanizing her. I could see her suffering for days ... no appetite, no energy. She no longer could tolerate walks outside in the Miami summer heat, slept all day, didn't play. (I later realized she hadn't been able to tolerate walks for a while, and it had been forever since she played or hid her food or barked.) I phoned a few friends for advice. If she'd been younger by even a year or two, it would be a no-brainer: give her all the tests and meds it would take to extend her life. But she'd gone from 7 lbs to 5 lbs in a few months ... she'd lost a full pound in a week. Getting her to take two pills (hiding in food) was already a challenge ... I had no idea how I could force 10 meds down her throat twice a day. That would torture her. My gut was telling me to let her go, even though my heart said to keep her with me. After a friend who went through a similar situation a few years earlier (his dog had cancer) asked me if keeping her alive for another few months would be for her or me, I realized it would be for me. I didn't want to lose her, but she was suffering, and I had no doubt that forcing her to take even a few pills when she had no appetite would force more suffering on her. So I remained with my Ella while the vet sedated her...and ten minutes later, when he stuck a needle in her leg vein. She was gone in a single breath.

For the past few days, I've felt like I murdered the love of my life ... despite assurances from others that I did the right thing for Ella. But I've been able to take solace in the knowledge that she knew she was loved, and that she had such a happy life with me.

[Tanya_25]

I"m going to add to the post.   Like most of everyone who has written, crying at the same time.  It's just so hard, I know everyone here understands.   Our little Schnoodle Maxx has been a trooper and overcome so many things over the years.  He's 13 this year and we are counting the days as well as blessings...  sadly CHF is his last battle that none of us can overcome.  Ever since he was little, when something was bothering him, he would tell me, (he's a vocal little guy) he would 'talk' and then lick where the spot was and we would fix it.  Speargrass, rock, sore spot, tumour, fracture..whatever.  This time he's telling me stuff is wrong but we can't fix it..makes me so sad that we can only delay the inevitable and this stupid disease is progressive.  It's so hard seeing that he wants to 'talk' but the inflammation of his heart is pushing on his trachea which makes him cough more.  He's trying to tell me, can't and then doesn't understand why I'm not fixing it.  We've had 2 kids over the past couple of years and they have been taking up most of our time.  I'm also just feeling guilty that we didn't get to play with him as much as he would have liked, and now that the kids are not as young we are starting to have more time to play with him  - but he can't play anymore.   His coughing is increasing at night and I don't think he's sleeping well.  I can hear his heart beating from halfway across the room.  He's still eating, coming for short walks and we bring him in a dog stroller to the park with us..he seems happy to be with us..but everyday it gets harder for him.  I don't want him to suffer but also  don't want to end his life if he is happier staying with us just a bit longer.  I just hope I can understand when he let's me know it's time and not to let it go on so long that he is suffering more than he wants to.
My heart goes out to everyone who has to make a decision like this.  Our pets are loved and they know it.  Sending out a big virtual hug to everyone and their loved furry babies  - including those that have crossed over the rainbow bridge :-)

[bluemoon72]

My baby, my 7 year old Chihuahua named Foofoo, just died suddenly today.  She was diagnosed with a heart murmur just three weeks ago during her annual vet check and vaccinations.  We had a vet appointment scheduled for this afternoon to do another checkup and determine what medications we'd be putting her on.  But the past two days she was coughing during the night, and today while I was at work she started breathing very heavily and raspy sounding.  My son called me around 2 pm and said he was really worried about her.  I left work and brought her right to the vet, 3 hours early for her appointment.  She was happy to see me home early from work and was eager for a car ride.  5 minutes after we got to the vet's office, I was holding her while the vet was getting the X-ray equipment ready.  She suddenly started breathing extremely loudly and quickly, then collapsed in my arms.  I tried to set her on the exam table but she fell over on her side and coughed up a tablespoon or so of clear liquid.  Her tongue went pale and her eyes rolled back in her head.  I yelled for help and the vet immediately arrived and ran with her to get oxygen in her and get resuscitation started.  Ten minutes later, she informed me that Foofoo's heart had stopped and they were not able to restart it.  I am in shock, stunned, and devastated.  It was so fast!  I just had my little girl this morning and now she's buried in our rose garden.  I am so heartbroken.

[sandyjoe827]

We are dealing with end stage CHF and an enlarged heart with Ginger, our 13 yo Schnauzer.  I hate, hate, hate the job of playing God, but like others have said, it's mostly out of my own selfishness rather than what's best for her.  She's been on Enalipril, Furosemide, Theophylline, and Pimobendan since last Fall and has had good days and bad, but the bad seem to be coming more often.  She's now hacking and coughing more and her breathing is much more labored.  She has a hard time sitting still and wants to go outside all the time, where she pretty much just stands and stares in to space.  Her appetite comes and goes (wouldn't eat dinner last night but ate this morning).  We are going to the vet this afternoon to decide where she's at.  I'm getting ready to go out of town for five days and my husband is petrified something will happen with her while I'm gone...hope the vet says she looks like she can hang on a while longer.  I'm not ready to let go yet.  Of course, we never are.

[JackyBoy25]

Yesterday I said goodbye to one of my best friends, Jack.  He was diagnosed with CHF 15 months ago at the age of 12 following a trip to the ER where I took him because of shortness of breath.  I was told with medication he’d have 6 months, maybe a year if we were lucky.  He was doing great on his
meds, but recently started coughing a lot.  Then yesterday morning he started experiencing shortness of breath.  We rushed him to the ER and they thought he’d be ok following oxygen therapy and lasix, but as soon as they inserted the catheter he coughed up a bunch of fluid and collapsed.  His heart was giving out despite a few attempts to get it going, and by the time I got there I could see how difficult it was for him to breath.  Even with a breathing tube delivering oxygen directly to his lungs, his blood oxygen was hovering at 45%.  He gave my family the best years of his life.  When my wife and I lost our first baby at 14 weeks due to a miscarriage he stayed by my side as I sobbed and cried and never left.  Telling the vet that it was time to let him go was so painful and still is, but I know in my heart that I did what was best for him.  I love him and miss him so much, but am glad that when his end finally came, he didn’t suffer for long.  He had great days all the way to the end.  As I came downstairs this morning with my youngest daughter (11 months), she pointed at his empty bed and said “dog”.  I’m comforted by all the good memories my family and I will share, and pray that everyone here can hold onto theirs.  I love you Jack.

[1drmak]

I can feel all your pain. The hardest thing to do is having your friend put down. This is happening with a 7 year old King Charles Spaniel we got from a reputable breeder. Started out with a heart murmur and now he is on meds and in CHF. He snores like a bear and has his tongue sticking further out of his mouth when he sleeps. I know his time is coming soon and we will gather all the strength we can to help him to the end. I don't like it, I hate it, I have done it before but it never  gets any easier. But I know this is how I prove my love for my 4 legged friend. A few years back I had a Malamute/wolf that was an incredible animal. One day I noticed a lump on her front leg. I thought she sprained her leg and took her to a vet. An x-ray later showed a huge cancer tumor and I was told I should put her down that day.  I felt like someone had just shot me in the guts. Took 4 hours of crying in that office to do what had to be done. Out of that, a few years later, I wrote the following. I hope it is helpful to some of you. Thanks for listening.

For Kody

Oh, that day
I’ll never forget
A short visit
To a new vet.

Waiting outside
My arm on your back
2 old buds
Sharing a Kit-Kat.

I saw the door open
It’s time to go in
We’ll hear what they say
‘bout that lump on your shin.

The vet seemed nice
But you made a fuss
Had to get an X-ray
So I picked you up.

You didn’t like it
As I made you lay still
That was quick
What’s the big deal?

She called me over
To look at your bone
There’s a cancer
It’s that dark hole.

I couldn’t believe it
Not my best friend
I started to cry
Cause this was the end.




I was in shock
It’s all too soon
She gave me some papers
Led us into a room.

I had to sign
On the dark line
In order for her
To end your life.

I couldn’t do it
This is not right.
Couldn’t we go home
An I’ll call you tonight?

She said you were suffering
An in a lot of pain.
And if I really loved you
I would sign my name.

More water than ink
Was placed on that page
My insides were burning
I called out your name.

One last time
I looked in your eyes
It was only seconds
I heard your last sigh.

I miss my old friend
There won’t be another
But one day will come
No more tears will be shedden
I’ll be seeing you again
Cause all dogs go to Heaven

[Luvador]

I have never had 2 put a dog down but I know my time is coming soon ( my husband had always taken care of it but he passed ) I do know they will be together & somehow I find comfort n knowing that

[abetdes]

My Ruffus, a havanese,  is 16 years old, has CHF and stopped eating or drinking anything at all two days ago.  We can't give him his meds. He does not look like he is in pain. Will he expire naturally. I am afraid of taking him to the vet and which he hates will only make him more upset and would not be humane.  I'd like to think he will expire naturally but really am not sure what to do.  I know he has very, very little time left

[jp4120]

Such a hard decision involving our little friends....every time a dog must be put down or dies suddenly its truly heart wrenching and I've been thru 4 of them..still crying as i write about this one..

Our Lhasa poo almost 13 had been coughing with CHF for 18 months. 40mg of lasix, 10/20 mg of theophylline daily at the end ($100/mth). Extra urination and lots of stains on the rugs but he seemed happy, not much activity but eating and drinking fine. but coughing constantly, at the end he was coughing 80% of the time, had some muscle wasting and weight loss (from 30 to 20 lbs) so he was very bony and noticing diarrhea almost always.
He had to lay perfectly flat on the floor to avoid coughing and lots of times he wouldn't get up to go out even in the morning (of course I had to help him because otherwise he would go on the rug when I wasn't around)

so family was advising us to put him to sleep for 3 months because of how uncomfortable he looked and sounded. Maybe we could have strung it out a couple more months not sure....we have a trip planned in 3 weeks and we did not want to kennel him like this.  we also were worried about him choking to death alone.

Bottom line we have been talking about this for 2 months and we made the decision to put him down last Saturday, i was crying all the way and almost turned around. Although we feel the deep void he left, we take comfort in knowing he is not in pain or uncomfortable now. Best of luck to everyone dealing with this.

[scarlett503]

My cocker spaniel Jasper is in the end stages of CHF.  We adopted him just after Thanksgiving 2015, he was around 11 years old.  I think he was a tad older at the time, but no matter.  About 4 or 5 months later in the spring of 2016, he was diagnosed with a murmer and CHF.  He's been on Enalipril and Lasik ever since.  Hot humid weather makes him really suffer, as it's difficult for him to breathe.  He is still eating and drinking, albeit he is not quite as enthusiastic about his food as he was even just a couple weeks ago.  His belly is so distended, and it seems he's not urinating as much as he normally does.   It's hard for him to get around, we have to help him up the stairs and sometimes down the stairs.  I came here looking for answers of when is the right time with this disease, as I've not had a dog with CHF before (one of my other Cockers had kidney failure, and it was obvious when the end was near).  I'm thinking that it is soon time to end his suffering.  I've been down this path too many times with my beloved pets, but it doesn't make it easier!

[tweeter853]

I hope that you have made the decision for your terra-poo. Since we love our fur babies as if they were little people it's so difficult to make that final decision even if in our hearts we know it's time.

A month ago, we had 4 great babies of our own; A Chihuahua (Prissy) whose been with me from birth and 3 rescues (two Chihuahuas and a Maltese). Then we discovered one of the Chi had CHF where she had a perfect checkup just a month before. Her name is Ellie and she's 11. Ellie's CHF came on so quickly that we didn't know if she would make it a month as it presented as a 5 of 6 murmur immediately and she began fading fast. The Maltese (Pyper, 15) and Ellie have been with me for 10 yrs now.  The other Chi (Cricket, age 8) came to me 6 yrs ago.

A week after we got the news, Prissy had an incident in the middle of the night with a single long scream. I couldn't wake her up and thought she was dead. Took her to the emergency vet and they could only find an intestinal issue that was treated. I took her from there to her regular vet the next day and she said she could hear a grade 3 murmur where there hadn't been one on her checkup either but she had no fluid in her lungs. The vet didn't want to treat until more could be found out as it was odd not to have any fluid unless it was some other type of heart failure beginning to show signs. Took her home to watch her closely and a few nights later she was beginning to breath heavily (85 per minute) and her little heart was struggling. Took her again to our vet who thought that the cords holding one side of the Mitral valve had torn, though it couldn't be verified without a ultrasound from a cardiologist.

Prissy had other medical issues and she was exhausted but still tried to stay for me though she didn't want me out of her site. We had a few hours of pure love at home before returning to do what had to be done. Though she "technically" was not in pain, it was still suffering she was enduring for me. By the time we got back to the vet's, Prissy was having difficulty standing on her own. The vet gave her a shot that would put her to sleep as if she were going to have surgery. Before it kicked in, she looked at me as if to say it was alright and laid her head against my cheek. She went to sleep in my arms and the vet gave her the final shot after we left the room. I have never loved a dog more than this one. She was my partner in everything for 16 1/2 yrs. I was devastated and wanted to go with her.

One week later, Pyper had a massive stroke and couldn't stop screaming, her body in contortions. We had to let her rest as well but it was easier to come to that decision as nothing controlled her pain. I was still scared to death that Ellie would soon follow. I don't think I could have made it had she passed as well. She has her own cardiologist and is now on meds that has given her her energy, playfulness and ultimately her life back. We don't know how long we have with her but we'll make the best of the time she has, however long that may be.

When the time comes that her quality of life is gone, we'll do for her what is best and not let her suffer. We can't control the fact that our loved babies will one day have to leave us but we often can control whether or not they suffer needlessly. Our final gift to them needs to be preventing as much suffering as we can when that's all that's left for them. Our love for them will last forever.

[Luvmyminnie]

My 13 1/2 yrs old terra-poo was diagnosed with CHF 6months ago. She is on 3 meds twice a day.  They seemed to help until recently she is coughing every time she gets up.  She seems weak and can't do the stairs to go outside.  She staggers and collapses when she e Exerts herself too much. Her eating has slowed down.  I sit here reading all your posts and trying to convince myself it is time to let her go.  I love her so much had her since she was 6 mos old. Rescue from PR. I can't help thinking I m being selfish trying to keep her with me.  Thinking everyday I come home from work she will have passed in the day, but she is still by the door when I open it to greet me. Such a sweet girl loves her momma. No matter how bad she feels she wags that tail when I talk to her. God please give me the courage to say it is time for her to cross the rainbow bridge.   It is such a hard decision.  Please give me advise

[Stephaniebelding]

We just put our beloved dog Linus down this morning. This thread helped me so I thought I would post our story to share our experience. Linus was 16 and had CHF for 5 years and 2 months. He did so well on his two meds furosemide and pimobenden. He suddenly took a turn for the worse 2 day prior and was markedly ill. Prior to this he was coughing for years but that didn't affect his quality of life. They can live a happy life with a cough as long as it isn't so severe it keeps them from doing their normal activities. He was happy, had a good appetite, but we did notice him slowing down. A couple of days ago he started vomiting, and had labored breathing. Then he wasn't able to walk well and stopped eating, drinking and taking meds. Soon he was stumbling around aimlessly with a dazed look and couldn't rest. He was relieving himself just laying down since he couldn't get up. It was at this point we knew it was time. The vet said that CHF can be a very painful death so we were glad that we were making this decision to spare him the agony. I held him in my arms and he was looking directly at me during the procedure. He just wasn't himself though, so I am not sure how lucid he was. To summarize, while they are still happy, wagging, eating and interested in affection, it is too early. When they are in pain and suffering with struggling to breathe it is definitely time. Hope this helps someone figure out their heartbreaking decision. There will never be another like our sweet Chihweenie Linus.

[Cheech007]

My dog 11 yorki has.chf no energy cough especially when excited. He also has a trachea that is collapsing.  This makes the surgery riskier.  Plus the trachea problem is pretty severe. The vet said it could be a.mpnth or a yr before it collapses.  Then surgery is an option. Keep in mind now he would.be.with pacemaker.amd.older.if.surgery. idk what to do. I don't want him to suffer. 2 surgeries in short span with little dog seems extreme. I'm afraid if I don't I'll feel guilt bc he is suffering or guilty b. I put him down too soon. I do work part time and have kids that I run around with  Recovery might be hard without me there for 5 hrs of.the day. So confused

[MontyLandon]

Our 9 1/2 year old chihuahua was treated for CHF for the last 9 months with medication to reduce the fluid in his body with the drugs as listed above.  He was diagnosed in July 2016 and the vet told us without meds he would probably have 8 months and with possibly up to 2 years.  He has had on and off periods where he would cough more, labored  breathing, no energy.  The last couple of days he has really gotten worse.  He stopped eating, and his labored breathing was so scary last night that we  did make the decision today to bring him to the vet and give him peace.  My husband and I both drove him there with his little bed and a blanket and cuddled and continually told him how much we loved him and were so proud he was our little boy.  We did stay with him while they administered the drug to end his life.  Today has been spent with on and off periods of tears.  It was time and he let us know.  He was a rescue from an abusive home when we got him, and we will never regret making him a member of our family.  We have another rescue chihuahua at home that is eleven.  He will be lonely I would imagine and confused as he is used to having his little brother.  I guess what I am trying to say is...as hard as it is, when your pets quality of life has been reduced to just laying in his bed all day and coughing and not eating or enjoying life anymore it is time.  Good luck - if you never love anything or anyone, you will not experience this loss, however, you will never experience the unconditional love of a pet either and that is priceless.  Rest in peace Monty, we love you.

[newmannuman]

I have a Jack Russell he is called Defer he has been on heart and fluid tablets for 3 weeks now is getting worse.His fluid is building up tired no energy and does not know where he is going.Before this about a week ago he use to bark and wag his tale for a bit and then get tired and rest as if he does not know me he is blind as well.I am now going to the vet to put him to rest as I would not like his organs to shut down and be in pain.Yes we both had happy lives together,in our hearts we know when it is time.My feelings go out to you all god bless.

[Carp2322]

Take yourself out of the equation is the biggest peice of advice I can offer. Is the dog able to do the things they love are they eating and drinking?

[ppw78]

4 months ago my 15 yrs old chihuahua just diagnosed with stage 5 heart murmur. n he 's on meds since then. at 3am this morning suddenly he's breathing so hard, coughing. now he won't eat, drink can't stand. i don't want him in pain. should i put him down??

[Carabella1]

Our 10 year old Border Collie was just dx'd with CHF. We're heartbroken. We had just gotten back from vacation last weekend and our housesitter didn't note any issues. Dazy had been coughing very minimally for a month or so, but we never thought a thing of it. She seemed perfectly fine.
Last Tuesday she started coughing in earnest. It was unproductive, nothing coming up, just very dry. Her sides were heaving and she was pacing in distress.
My husband took her to an ER vet and within an hour they were telling my husband we would lose her at any time, but, hey... we'll keep her overnight and do more tests for $3000. They gave her Lasix and oxygen and my husband declined the overnight (of course against their advice).
The next day he took her to our regular vet. He couldn't hear a thing. No murmur, no congestion.
Thursday, she started coughing again. I wondered if it might be allergies. The doctor wanted to see her again, immediately. It turns out the Lasix masked the symptoms the day before. He said, "no one needs to spend $3000 for this diagnosis." He put her on a high blood pressure med, Vasotec, and Lasix. He said we may have a year, possibly two, or as little as six months.
So, she takes these twice a day and I've added 5000iu of Vitamin D because it's good for the heart and dogs can't absorb it through their skin like humans.
She's really perked up, eating well and wanting to play with her Frisbee all the time. We can't know how much time we have with her. My husband read somewhere that activity should be limited. She's a border collie! There is no limit! I told him that while she can romp and play, we need to let her do as much as she can, as long as she can.

[Carp2322]

I've had a couple dogs with CHF older large breed dogs I can tell you that while it sounds like your dog is further along then either of ours were when we first caught it (The first dog got a cold and while the rest of our animals got better he didn't so it was caught very early and with the 2nd we knew that coughing was a big sign (burping too)) our dogs kept on their meds have always done awesome. The one that is no longer with us didn't even die because of his heart, he went into liver failure. Our other dog has been on her meds for about 2 years now and is still going strong. It took 2 vet techs to hold her down at her last appointment  (she really hates the vet now that she can't see so good...she is a 17)

[Carp2322]

I've had a couple dogs with CHF older large breed dogs I can tell you that while it sounds like your dog is further along then either of ours were when we first caught it (The first dog got a cold and while the rest of our animals got better he didn't so it was caught very early and with the 2nd we knew that coughing was a big sign (burping too)) our dogs kept on their meds have always done awesome. The one that is no longer with us didn't even die because of his heart, he went into liver failure. Our other dog has been on her meds for about 2 years now and is still going strong. It took 2 vet techs to hold her down at her last appointment  (she really hates the vet now that she can't see so good...she's 17)

[Abbode]

How do you get the vitamin D in amd what brand..and did you start feeding her moist dog food since their throat and cough is so bad?Going through the same thing as of last week.

[SuzyQue100]

Our beloved 2 year old Asian Mastiff Ace began slowing down over the last couple of weeks. He'd been off his food for a while but has always been a bad eater, we didn't think anything of it just kept offering him other foods and encouraging him. He had the odd cough. Sadly in his short life he's already been through a lot so we have regular visits to the vets. On New Year's Eve he'd been so lethargic and his breathing was deep and fast, we just knew something was wrong. The vet immediately picked up on an irregular heart beating (atrial fibrillation). An ecg was performed and he was scanned. We were told he is in the late stages of heart failure with fluid in and around his lungs and that he's suffering from a condition called Dilated Cardio Myopathy. The vet called it the silent killer. He's been given 2 weeks to 2 months to live on a cocktail of drugs. We are absolutely reeling and devastated. He's still with us at this moment his breathing had returned to normal but he's a poorly boy and we know it's just a matter of time. He's still going on short walks, eating sporadically, wagging his tail and the vet says he's in no pain but he is getting very skinny, he's out of sorts and is just a shadow of the dog he was. We are struggling to know when the time is right to let him go and be at peace. We do not want him to suffer.

[TedHam]

Our Tisha is 17 years old.  Yesterday, we took to the Pet ER as she had the blue tongue/gums, shivering, could barely walk without fainting and had the worst cough with vomit/bile.  The vet advised she has a murmur and that is leading to her not getting enough oxygen in her blood (leaky heart valves).  Until this time, we had her on a cough medicine and antibiotics.  She came home with improved condition last night but today, she has no appetite and no energy; although, she is drinking water (the diruetic).  We were given 5-day supply of diuretics but she has weak kidneys.  Vet says treat the heart first but we worry the meds will cause kidney failure and with her leaky valves, I don't want her to lapse back into the state she was in Sunday.  She is very tired and is not enjoying life.  I am talking with my wife today and we are taking her to our vet for a follow-up.  We do not want to put her thru the meds as Tisha really hates them and, although not yet suffering, she is very uncomfortable and her days are spent sleeping. She has no zest.  We are praying we make the right decision for her before she has trouble again.  

[Katydid1979]

The vet is coming to our house in the morning to put our big Leonberger to sleep. He was diagnosed with a murmur in early 2015 while we were living in America. Shortly after we moved to the UK in Nov 2015 we found out it had progressed to congestive heart failure. The meds seemed to work until the end of the summer and then he went downhill quickly. Lost so much weight, lost interest in going for a walk, chasing squirrels, heavy panting, swelling etc. We only have a few more hours with him. Its the right decision to put him to sleep but my heart is breaking. Watching my children cry is heartbreaking too. I love you, Ben, you will always be The Best Dog. Wait for us at the rainbow bridge x

[Pamelafrostdennis]

And now it's our turn. Our Gizmo came into our life when he was six. He started out as a starving puppy in Mexico. He was smuggled into Ca by his former owner- - a young girl. When he was four, his back feet were smashed by a car. When he was six, he was living in a car when my husband saw him and offered a home to him. He is a little prince. A dear sweet soul. And now our little guy is 16, deaf, needs glasses, and has CHF. The meds have helped, but each day and night, the cough gets worse. He still LOVES food, and his personality is intact. Everyday he follows me to my cottage office to help me work. I write murder mysteries and Gizmo is my muse-- although he tends to nap a lot on the job. We know we don't have much longer ... don't know if the hard coughing hurts. Can't bear the thought of making him overstay his time on earth. I have done that before with another dear dog, and I greatly regret my selfishness. Like most here, I hope he passes gently in his sleep, but probably won't be that lucky. I appreciate the info about asking for the drug the vet uses before surgery.

[AlisonSherman]

My sweet 13 year old shih tzu Stan was diagnosed with CHF last Jan. The enalapril and Lasix drugs helped for awhile, but his coughing started coming back mid-summer. Lately, his coughing and labored breathing got bad, where he was even waking up in the night with these problems. He would still eat his food and go on walks, although he would cough the entire time on the walks. This past week, his coughing got even worse, and the vet concurred that he was suffering. He was put down on Wed morning. My heart is broken. I feel so guilty and am questioning if I acted too quickly.  I just couldn't stand to see my little fur baby suffer any longer. I miss him more than anyone knows. I am devastated.

[Nickyisland]

I feel the same way as you. My dog was doing great on all the meds and then yesterday am she started hacking and then was very sad. I went to give her the pills early and she wouldn't take them. I then forced her to hoping it would help her feel better soon. She then fainted and then everywent down hill from there. I took her to emergency where her breathing got worse and the doc said she's suffering and suggested I put her down. I woke up feeling so guilty and like I pulled the trigger too soon. I hope to God I made the right decision. It just feels so horrible. The

[StaceySch]

I'm sorry for all of your losses. My 13 year old yellow lab has declined rapidly the last few weeks. She has CHF and now kidney failure. For the last few days, she won't take take her pills in  the wet food she would enjoy and she barely eats the boiled chicken she used to love. My heart is breaking. I've had her 4 years and she's just the sweetest girl, but I do not want her to suffer. "Repay a kindness with a kindness.

[StaceySch]

I;m sorry for all of your losses. My 13 year old yellow lab has declined rapidly the last few weeks. She has CHF and now kidney failure. For the last few days, she won't ;t take take her pills in  the wet food she would enjoy and she barely eats the boiled chicken she used to love. My heart is breaking. I've had her 4 years and she's just the sweetest girl, but I do not want her to suffer. Repay a kindness with a kindness

[jodieva]

My 11 yr old KC Cav Spaniel has been on meds for CHF for over a year. The coughing has just started to get worse and he has become uncomfortable at night. He still loves his food, walks and has had a lovely summer. In the early hours of this morning he had a bout of coughing and came to sit beside my bed. I sat on the floor and he curled up against me. He puts his trust in me to do what is best for him and I suddenly had a gut wrenching feeling that its time to let him go, before all he knows is suffering. My Bailey. My baby before I had babies. I have two children 4 and 8. They have not known a world without him. Its now gone 3am and I know I need to tell my husband when he wakes up that its time. My heart is breaking but I also feel acceptance.

[ZoeyMarieEstes]

They now fix this in France.  Clinic Bozon.

[ZoeyMarieEstes]

They fix dogs with Mitral Valve Disease witch is common in Cavs and Maltese's.

[Pablospur]

My dog has had the same thing happening to him and I have make the decision to put my 13 year old Shih Tzu Pablo down.  He has had CHF for the last year and has done well on all the drugs.  I can see a big difference in him, in the last few weeks.  He is maxed on his meds and  also takes a cough medicine pill.  He sleeps a lot and coughs.  I see it more at night, we wake up 2 to 3 times a night and I carry him down to go pee and then he coughs a lot and his breathing is really bad.  Having a hard time breathing.  So I just lay with him on the floor and comfort him until one of us falls asleep.  This has been going on for a while and I just can't  bare to let him go.  He still plays fetch, but only can get his squeaky a couple of times now instead of continuously or until I stop or he starts coughing alot, He eats fine and loves his treats. He loves his walks, but they have drastically gone from long ones to very short ones and me carry him back sometimes.

I fell that I just can't bring myself to let him go.
My daughter just left for college and would have to go get her to let her see him one more time.  She is not far, but I just am procrastinating, maybe something will happen and he will be just fine, but I know deep down that is not going to happen.  I just love the little man, we rescued him 9 years ago and he has been the best dog a family could ever ask for.  

I sense he is scared and he stays by my side and my husband and I have been taking turns staying home with him because I can just tell he is scared to be alone.  Just so hard to make that decision, if I am doing the right thing or I should wait a little longer, but I don't want to see him suffer.

As I seat her typing this, he is in his bed sleeping right next to me. He just seems so peaceful right now, like everything is fine.  The seizures have gotten more frequent in this last month, just this past few days he has had 3, they use to be maybe once a month probably in longer than that.  The seizures seem to make him look like he is drunk and in pain.  

My heart is heavy and is breaking just to think of him not being with us anymore.