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Fluid in my dogs chest cavity
Hi there - not sure if anyone has had this happened to their animal...but my 9 year old Shepard Cross recently went from healthy dog to all of a sudden on the verge of dieing.
Tuesday last week.. he started moaning when he sat down.. and because with the warm weather.. we have walked him way more.. and thought maybe his joints were hurting.
It wasn't till Friday that my hubby and I noticed him breathing heavy on his side and would start groaning when he sat down. Finally on Sunday we decided to take Siefer to our vet nearby to see if he has an upset tummy or not. He started having stinky farts.. which isn't abnormal for him..
So on Monday, we took him out and it went from good news 'oh nothing seems to be bugging him at all'.. and we're like 'oh thank gosh.. maybe he just has tummy problems again.. ate something wrong'. Then she went to listen to his heart.. and could barely. He had no fever but it was on the high end of the temperature scale. She then insisted we do xrays... which after $400 we were hoping it was nothing. Nope.. they could barely see his heart.. saying all the the fluid around his heart is making the xray almost seem ghostly.. his lungs have shriveled up making it the reason why he is having trouble breathing.
They done rushed us to emergency and he had to get an ultrasound done as well as withdrawing fluid to ease the pain and to test it.. with some bloodwork. We get the results tomorrow but I'm just hoping that I go the right direction. Everything online seems unsupported in regards to surgery due to the closeness of the heart.. and with his older age... but I just don't want to get tossed around. It's not about money but after $1400.. i know with additonal info.. it will cost more and more... but I want him to be better not worse.
Today he is lethargic... and I feel so bad. My little dog.. she's 5.. knows something is up and she is worried for him. He has had loose stool and bad gas.. I assume due to stress... and I hope.. and he's eating well...
I am so sad.. and my hubby finally broke down last night as its his dog.. they are really bonded. We just lost my 15 year old husky last year so this seems way too close and way too fast....
Any suggestions? Any knowledge to know if this is a few day, few weeks or few months to live?
I am just trying to be prepared.. although we never can be I guess.
Thank you in advance!
Tuesday last week.. he started moaning when he sat down.. and because with the warm weather.. we have walked him way more.. and thought maybe his joints were hurting.
It wasn't till Friday that my hubby and I noticed him breathing heavy on his side and would start groaning when he sat down. Finally on Sunday we decided to take Siefer to our vet nearby to see if he has an upset tummy or not. He started having stinky farts.. which isn't abnormal for him..
So on Monday, we took him out and it went from good news 'oh nothing seems to be bugging him at all'.. and we're like 'oh thank gosh.. maybe he just has tummy problems again.. ate something wrong'. Then she went to listen to his heart.. and could barely. He had no fever but it was on the high end of the temperature scale. She then insisted we do xrays... which after $400 we were hoping it was nothing. Nope.. they could barely see his heart.. saying all the the fluid around his heart is making the xray almost seem ghostly.. his lungs have shriveled up making it the reason why he is having trouble breathing.
They done rushed us to emergency and he had to get an ultrasound done as well as withdrawing fluid to ease the pain and to test it.. with some bloodwork. We get the results tomorrow but I'm just hoping that I go the right direction. Everything online seems unsupported in regards to surgery due to the closeness of the heart.. and with his older age... but I just don't want to get tossed around. It's not about money but after $1400.. i know with additonal info.. it will cost more and more... but I want him to be better not worse.
Today he is lethargic... and I feel so bad. My little dog.. she's 5.. knows something is up and she is worried for him. He has had loose stool and bad gas.. I assume due to stress... and I hope.. and he's eating well...
I am so sad.. and my hubby finally broke down last night as its his dog.. they are really bonded. We just lost my 15 year old husky last year so this seems way too close and way too fast....
Any suggestions? Any knowledge to know if this is a few day, few weeks or few months to live?
I am just trying to be prepared.. although we never can be I guess.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Gilly. Have been reading this thread on poor Siefer and it's breaking my heart. This is always the hardest part of having a pet....saying goodbye.
I am so sorry that you have had to make this most difficult decision. I admire your strength and ability to put Siefer's comfort before your own emotions.
When you began your relationship with Siefer, by opening your home and heart to him you made him an unspoken promise to take care of him, to always be there for him, to never let him go hungry, and to never let him suffer when there was no hope of recovery. We all make these promises to our pets when we begin our lives with them as members of the family. You are keeping the final promise that you made to Siefer; to never let him suffer when there is no hope of recovery. It's the ultimate act of love, and it hurts more than anything you will ever have to do, but it shows just how much you love him that you are willing to let him go so that he does not suffer. God Bless You for that.
If you need anyone to talk to, my mailbox is always open. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Ghilly
When you began your relationship with Siefer, by opening your home and heart to him you made him an unspoken promise to take care of him, to always be there for him, to never let him go hungry, and to never let him suffer when there was no hope of recovery. We all make these promises to our pets when we begin our lives with them as members of the family. You are keeping the final promise that you made to Siefer; to never let him suffer when there is no hope of recovery. It's the ultimate act of love, and it hurts more than anything you will ever have to do, but it shows just how much you love him that you are willing to let him go so that he does not suffer. God Bless You for that.
If you need anyone to talk to, my mailbox is always open. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Ghilly
My eyes are filling with tears on behalf of you and Siefer. My own loss from last January is still too fresh for my liking, so I have a good idea of how you must be feeling right now. I agree that you're making the right decision - as terribly difficult as it is.
One thing that helped a great deal with Chica last year was sedating her before we took her to the vet for the last time. You might ask your vet to give you some pills to sedate Siefer before you leave the house. The last thing Chica knew was being held and stroked on her favorite couch. We had to carry her out to the car for her last ride.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers tonight. Know that you aren't alone, and if you need to talk about anything we are all here for you. God bless.
One thing that helped a great deal with Chica last year was sedating her before we took her to the vet for the last time. You might ask your vet to give you some pills to sedate Siefer before you leave the house. The last thing Chica knew was being held and stroked on her favorite couch. We had to carry her out to the car for her last ride.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers tonight. Know that you aren't alone, and if you need to talk about anything we are all here for you. God bless.
Hi Ghilly and Jaybay.. sorry been MIA but I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you both for your support and your knowledge. Jaybay you gave me great emotional support when I needed it, coming from a dog lover.. and Ghilly, you gave me unbiased truthful support that turned out to be the best opinion.
We went to two vets and we found a lady, Dr. Amelia Falk who was super sweet.
As you noted Ghilly, hubby and I also decided, if it was cancer, we wouldn't proceed with the procedure.. the stats aren't too promising.
Today we took Siefer in for a 2nd fluid removal.. however she wasn't able to get much out. She did say it might be due to her lack of expertise.. but during the ultrasound she saw a litre worth of fluid (Last week they took out 2 litres).. yikes. She spent the time to discuss the situation.. I appreciated it a lot. She said I could go back to the hopsital and have some removed but it will just persist.
She noted, that if it wasn't cancer, the Rutin he's been on and the drainage from the first time, that the litre that just filled up wouldn't be so drastic.
Plus, he is starting to gurgle when he breathes.. so unfortunately, we have to come to a decision.
Although I'd love to remove the liquid every week or so.. it's not making his life any better and I honestly am keeping him around just for my sake. His internal organs aren't benefitting the fluid in his chest.. and he's not enjoyingmeals so much.. I think after he eats he wants to puke due to the congestion in there...
So.. tomorrow is most likely the day it will have to happen. We are having a final Siefer walk tonight with some friends. We will have to leave on a good note.
Thank you both so much.
We went to two vets and we found a lady, Dr. Amelia Falk who was super sweet.
As you noted Ghilly, hubby and I also decided, if it was cancer, we wouldn't proceed with the procedure.. the stats aren't too promising.
Today we took Siefer in for a 2nd fluid removal.. however she wasn't able to get much out. She did say it might be due to her lack of expertise.. but during the ultrasound she saw a litre worth of fluid (Last week they took out 2 litres).. yikes. She spent the time to discuss the situation.. I appreciated it a lot. She said I could go back to the hopsital and have some removed but it will just persist.
She noted, that if it wasn't cancer, the Rutin he's been on and the drainage from the first time, that the litre that just filled up wouldn't be so drastic.
Plus, he is starting to gurgle when he breathes.. so unfortunately, we have to come to a decision.
Although I'd love to remove the liquid every week or so.. it's not making his life any better and I honestly am keeping him around just for my sake. His internal organs aren't benefitting the fluid in his chest.. and he's not enjoyingmeals so much.. I think after he eats he wants to puke due to the congestion in there...
So.. tomorrow is most likely the day it will have to happen. We are having a final Siefer walk tonight with some friends. We will have to leave on a good note.
Thank you both so much.
*IF* you can afford to have the CT scan done, I would do it to see if you're dealing with cancer. If it's cancer, I would probably decide not to pursue treatment as it would only prolong the discomfort with no hope of resolution. BUT, if it's not cancer, I would go ahead with the treatments and see how things go for a while. If you start to see positive changes, then you'll know that chances are you're going to get somewhere with it. Your dog will tell you how things are going. I wouldn't do anything drastic right away, though. See how things go for a bit.
Ghilly
Ghilly
Your mind works the same way mine does - I feel for you. There are so many "what if's" to consider, and don't appologize for also considering the financial aspects of treatment. It's just a nasty part of any medical decision not only for our pets, but ourselves.
I couldn't swear to it, but I suspect that your vet wants you to avoid raw food because any infection could be fatal at this point. One little salmonella bacteria would carry you dog off, so it's best to err on the safe side with a high quality commercial food. Another option would be a homemade diet that is cooked. Your vet should be able to give you some recipes to try.
One thing that caught my eye in your update is that your vet thinks fluid drainage is necessary only every few weeks. That is good news! I was thinking it was going to be every few days, which isn't a good option in my book - for you or the dog. The way I see it, the CT scan is to determine the presence of a tumor. You don't yet know if it's malignant or benign. Will that answer change your opinion on surgery? I agree with you that treating a malignancy in a dog this age isn't a good idea; but if there IS a mass and it's benign it might be worth the surgery risk.
These decisions don't need to be made today. Go ahead and treat it medically for a few weeks and see how things go. I also think a vitamin supplement would be a good thing to add to prevent any nutritional deficiencies from a homemade or even a prescription diet. That was a problem for my dog who died of kidney failure. So many foods were off the diet list due to high phosphorus content, that I made her food myself and added a no-phosphorus vitamin pill to help make up the difference. It wasn't easy finding those vitamins either!
Certainly your dog is very ill right now, but this needn't be the end just yet. All you can do is keep him as happy and comfortable as you can for as long as possible, and isn't that what we do every day? With Chica's kidney failure, it started as a month-to-month thing; then week-to-week; and finally day-to-day. The nursing requirements built up slowly and by the end it was all-consuming. I honestly didn't realize how much of my time was spent in nursing her until it was over. Like I said earlier, there really isn't a "wrong" decision here. Let your conscience and your dog be your guide. I have every faith that whatever you do will be the right thing. :-)
I couldn't swear to it, but I suspect that your vet wants you to avoid raw food because any infection could be fatal at this point. One little salmonella bacteria would carry you dog off, so it's best to err on the safe side with a high quality commercial food. Another option would be a homemade diet that is cooked. Your vet should be able to give you some recipes to try.
One thing that caught my eye in your update is that your vet thinks fluid drainage is necessary only every few weeks. That is good news! I was thinking it was going to be every few days, which isn't a good option in my book - for you or the dog. The way I see it, the CT scan is to determine the presence of a tumor. You don't yet know if it's malignant or benign. Will that answer change your opinion on surgery? I agree with you that treating a malignancy in a dog this age isn't a good idea; but if there IS a mass and it's benign it might be worth the surgery risk.
These decisions don't need to be made today. Go ahead and treat it medically for a few weeks and see how things go. I also think a vitamin supplement would be a good thing to add to prevent any nutritional deficiencies from a homemade or even a prescription diet. That was a problem for my dog who died of kidney failure. So many foods were off the diet list due to high phosphorus content, that I made her food myself and added a no-phosphorus vitamin pill to help make up the difference. It wasn't easy finding those vitamins either!
Certainly your dog is very ill right now, but this needn't be the end just yet. All you can do is keep him as happy and comfortable as you can for as long as possible, and isn't that what we do every day? With Chica's kidney failure, it started as a month-to-month thing; then week-to-week; and finally day-to-day. The nursing requirements built up slowly and by the end it was all-consuming. I honestly didn't realize how much of my time was spent in nursing her until it was over. Like I said earlier, there really isn't a "wrong" decision here. Let your conscience and your dog be your guide. I have every faith that whatever you do will be the right thing. :-)
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