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Our dear little Bichon has CHF
Billy is our 13 year old Bichon Frise and he has suffered from mitral valve disease for over 4 years. He has taken Vetmedin and Fusecare (Frusemide) twice a day and approximately 3 months ago the vet added Prolactin and Fusekor as well. Over the past couple of days he has deteriorated, his breathing is rapid and shallow, he sleeps most of the day and yesterday, for the first time in 13 years, he refused his meal. In the night he vomited and this morning he was weak and could not stand. My husband and I were in a corkscrew of despair, it was 6 in the morning so we decided to dress and phone the vet at 9.00. After an hour or so, Billy miraculously appeared in the kitchen, looking for his breakfast. I had cooked him some chicken which he woofed down. I do apologise for my ramblings, I guess I am desperately searching for some reassurance, any glimmer of advice, any tried and tested methods. We cannot face having to make the decision to extinguish his life, we keep asking for just one more day. Thank you all for listening to me. Averil
Welcome...How old is your Bichon??? You need to have his cough diagnosed.....To think they will tell you to "Put him down" is unrealistic! There are MANY reasons for coughing....ALL are treatable.....Make a appointment w/your Vet and get your MAXIE some relief!!!! To do nothing is unacceptable and not fair to him.......Karla
I am so sorry you went through such a tragic period. I am very close to where you were. My bichon is coughing all the time, but he still goes out with the other dogs and he snuggles and wants to be petted. I think we always agonize over what we could do differently. I am afraid to take my guy to the vet because I am so afraid of what she will tell me. I am almost certain they will recommend putting him down, and I dont think either of us, his family, and maxie himself isnt ready. So another day shall pass hopefully. I dopid not think he would make it thru the summer yet here he is with us still. My heart avhes for everyone who has had a sick pet who dies, I dont think we are ever truly ready. I hope at least you've found peace. Maxie sounds so terrible right now and I am so worried. But again, one foot in front of the other one day at a time.
hi i hope you can help me my dog teddy is a bichon he is 10 years old he awoke one morning and count move his back legs we had xrays done everything to everyones suprise he had 3 slipped discks in his back a enlarged heart and kidney stones the vet wanted to put him down then i could not bear it she gave us pain medicine and wished us well its been a month now and he can barely breath he has never been active and never would climb staire so we thought he was ok he wont take his pain meds and i made a appointment to put him to sleep on friday im so scared tolet him go but i dont want him to suffer he also suffers with joint problums in his back legs i pray that you can give me some advice nancy anne
Hello, I am not sure whether my last comment went through so here I am again! Yes, our dear little Bill was on heart medication for nearly 4 years and did exceedingly well. For the first two years or more he was lively, happy and jolly, it was only over the past 6 months we noticed a marked difference in him, he slept a lot more and didnt want to be too bothered about exercise although he still ate well and showed very little signs of distress. Luckily it was only over the past 3 weeks his cough began again and he became extremely lethargic. I guess any advice I give you will more than likely already be doing but we put a child's gate across the stairs to prevent him climbing them, we took him for little gentle plods and when he tired we carried him back to the car, we stopped giving him treats and only fed him the best nutritious food, we never left him not even for 5 minutes, we wrapped him with our love to try and protect him. I pray he didnt suffer more than we know, Bichons are such wonderful brave characters its hard to tell when they are down. I hope you have many more years with your little Leon as we were lucky to have with our darling boy. If I can be of any further help please let me know.
So sorry to hear about your loss of Billy. Our Bichon Leon, has CHF and has been on meds since December.. Was Billy on the meds for 4 years? I completely understand the boat you were in, it breaks my heart to hear Leon cough at night, but he does not seem in pain. He is so bright eyed and bushy tailed, and loves to take his meds in a piece of sweet potato, I don't think it's his time... I don't want him in pain, but then he so happy.... it's such a hard decision... always one day at a time. Any advice? Comments?? Anyone?
COMMUNITY LEADER
I know what this feels like. My last dog Toby passed away in 1999, and I felt totally adrift. Even moreso because my husband had died only 9 months before. I couldn't bear the hollow emptiness.
It might sound strange but what helped me was the creative work I did on Toby's grave. At first I could hardly bear to go near it. My heart felt so filled with sorrow. Then as the winter of that year progressed, I found I could arrange stones, bring beautful crystals. plant bulbs which would shoot up in the Spring, carve a headstone. It gave me something to tend, to look after...something which had to do with him. It built a bridge for me, and helped.
I found many photographs, and made a collage on the wall. His toys mostly went into the grave with him, but some I kept, smelling them, trying to catch his scent. As the days went by, they started to smell more and more of rubber, and less of him. I couldn't bear it.
I painted pictures of him.
There were many who said I should take another dog in straight away, but I was too shocked to do that. I hadn't finished grieving. (that was for the future, when I was ready. It happened, but not right away.)
It helps if there are things you can do which remind you of him. It hurts, yes, but somehow it helps too. It almost seems to contact the Spirit of him, which lives on in your heart and will never be forgotten.
It might sound strange but what helped me was the creative work I did on Toby's grave. At first I could hardly bear to go near it. My heart felt so filled with sorrow. Then as the winter of that year progressed, I found I could arrange stones, bring beautful crystals. plant bulbs which would shoot up in the Spring, carve a headstone. It gave me something to tend, to look after...something which had to do with him. It built a bridge for me, and helped.
I found many photographs, and made a collage on the wall. His toys mostly went into the grave with him, but some I kept, smelling them, trying to catch his scent. As the days went by, they started to smell more and more of rubber, and less of him. I couldn't bear it.
I painted pictures of him.
There were many who said I should take another dog in straight away, but I was too shocked to do that. I hadn't finished grieving. (that was for the future, when I was ready. It happened, but not right away.)
It helps if there are things you can do which remind you of him. It hurts, yes, but somehow it helps too. It almost seems to contact the Spirit of him, which lives on in your heart and will never be forgotten.
Thankyou for your loving warm comments. It is very comforting. Our house just isnt the same anymore, there's a silence about it, a quiet sadness. Our garden isnt the same anymore, it was Bill's haven, our kitchen looks lifeless without his curly round body sniffing the tiles, our bedroom is so empty without his bed tucked neatly in the corner, his bowl beside it and his little "itsy bitsy" rubbber spider laying in the hallway. I found one of his curls on the kitchen floor this morning and was diminished to a babbling wailing wreck, just to feel the softness of him all over again. Averil
Averil, I am SO sorry to hear of your Billy's passing. I know exactly what you are going through, in two months it will be one year already that I lost my sweet Katie and held her as she left us for the Rainbow Bridge. I'm crying all over again for the sweet babies who have shared our lives and who have made us laugh and have given us such wonderful memories of them to cherish forever.
You did an amazing job keeping him well for the last four years. That's really an astonishing amount of time to buy a dog in CHF, you, your husband and Billy must have shared a wonderful bond.
May your memories of Billy sustain you through this rough time. Eventually smiles will replace the tears when you think of him or talk of him, and he will always be with you until you meet again. Godspeed sweet Billy.
Ghilly
You did an amazing job keeping him well for the last four years. That's really an astonishing amount of time to buy a dog in CHF, you, your husband and Billy must have shared a wonderful bond.
May your memories of Billy sustain you through this rough time. Eventually smiles will replace the tears when you think of him or talk of him, and he will always be with you until you meet again. Godspeed sweet Billy.
Ghilly
COMMUNITY LEADER
I am so sorry.
He passed away in the comfort of his own home, with you and Ray with him, and his little Spirit is set free now.
He was much loved and cherished. Bless you.
Don't worry about us, yes we have been through these things ourselves, and will probably go through them again. It's the price for the love of a dog. We make a silent promise to them to be there for them in their need, whatever that may be.
I wish you and Ray heartfelt condolences in your sadness.
Remember Billy with joy and thanks through your tears.
Big hugs.
Ginger X
He passed away in the comfort of his own home, with you and Ray with him, and his little Spirit is set free now.
He was much loved and cherished. Bless you.
Don't worry about us, yes we have been through these things ourselves, and will probably go through them again. It's the price for the love of a dog. We make a silent promise to them to be there for them in their need, whatever that may be.
I wish you and Ray heartfelt condolences in your sadness.
Remember Billy with joy and thanks through your tears.
Big hugs.
Ginger X
Our dearest, brave little boy passed away at 1.30 this morning. We were with him, my dear husband Ray helped him go towards the bridge. We are so devastated at how quickly the deterioration took hold and we were quite at a loss as to how we could have stopped it. He was suffocating before our eyes and we knew there was nothing anybody could do. What a terrible illness. I am writing this to thank you both for your very helpful and comforting thoughts. I realise you have both been where we are today so you will appreciate our feeling of loss and utter sadness. I so hope I havent made you both feel down by resurrecting closely guarded memories. Thank you for your selfless concern.
God bless, we shall never forget you both.
Averil, Ray and Billy XXX
God bless, we shall never forget you both.
Averil, Ray and Billy XXX
COMMUNITY LEADER
Like Karla said, it IS just possible something can still be done for him to ease his circumstances right now, which may help him and buy him more time. Check that with your vet before having him put to sleep. It just MIGHT be a dosage situaton.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Thank you very much Karla for your email. Ray and I are not in a very good frame of mind this evening, our tummies are churning and our hearts are aching. We go from one thing to another, one minute we cant bear to watch him suffering so and know the inevitable must happen, the next we have both changed our minds and feel we just cannot comprehend doing it..
I do apologise, I am afraid I mispelt the name of the tablets which are called Prilactone and Prolactin, so sorry. I believe they are something to assist the kidneys, although I am not too sure.
No his Frusemide has never been altered, in fact a weeks ago I decided to up it myself as his breathing had begun to deteriorate. Fluid retention has not been a particular issue until now so I guess our vet didnt think it necessary? I will definitely mention it to him tomorrow when I phone him first thing, we are going to see if he will be able to make a home visit as Bill is in no fit state to go to the Clinic, and Bill knows Steve and trusts him.
Thank you for your very kind and caring words of comfort. It helps an enormous amount to know there are such lovely people out there who know and understand exactly how we feel.
You are so right when you say that life is too short to share with our wonderful furry friends and thank you for your compliments regarding the 4 years of looking after Bill, but its Bill you need to praise, looking after him is a privilige and easy to do, he is such an adorable, gentle old chap, we love him desperately.
I will keep you updated. Thank you once again - kind regards Averil,
I do apologise, I am afraid I mispelt the name of the tablets which are called Prilactone and Prolactin, so sorry. I believe they are something to assist the kidneys, although I am not too sure.
No his Frusemide has never been altered, in fact a weeks ago I decided to up it myself as his breathing had begun to deteriorate. Fluid retention has not been a particular issue until now so I guess our vet didnt think it necessary? I will definitely mention it to him tomorrow when I phone him first thing, we are going to see if he will be able to make a home visit as Bill is in no fit state to go to the Clinic, and Bill knows Steve and trusts him.
Thank you for your very kind and caring words of comfort. It helps an enormous amount to know there are such lovely people out there who know and understand exactly how we feel.
You are so right when you say that life is too short to share with our wonderful furry friends and thank you for your compliments regarding the 4 years of looking after Bill, but its Bill you need to praise, looking after him is a privilige and easy to do, he is such an adorable, gentle old chap, we love him desperately.
I will keep you updated. Thank you once again - kind regards Averil,
Hello Averil.....I've read all this and I'm praying for not only Billy, but for you and your husband as well.......
I've been in your shoes (As we all here have) & know the heartache you speak about.....It's the price we pay for "Love"!
ProIactin is a hormone for the pituitary gland.....I cannot find it as a medication....Do you know why he's taking this?
Frusemide is his Lasix designed to keep fluid off the lungs when the heart fails.....Has is Lasix dose ever been changed in the four years you've used it? If not, it's very possible that a dose adjustment will be your answer......
In my experience......When what your describing happened to my guy, I was to up his lasix till I could get him breating better, then go back down to maintenance dose after about 3 days.......Has that ever been tried?
Anyway, I'm thinking about you and cried with you when I read your post....It reminded me of days gone by.....You've done an amazing job treating his CHF for 4 years....I commend you for that....Life is too short with our beloved creatures, I know......
Please, come back with updates if you can......Until then, my heart goes out to you & your Billy.......Give him a kiss from me......I DO love those Bichonly guys!!!!! Sincerely, Karla
I've been in your shoes (As we all here have) & know the heartache you speak about.....It's the price we pay for "Love"!
ProIactin is a hormone for the pituitary gland.....I cannot find it as a medication....Do you know why he's taking this?
Frusemide is his Lasix designed to keep fluid off the lungs when the heart fails.....Has is Lasix dose ever been changed in the four years you've used it? If not, it's very possible that a dose adjustment will be your answer......
In my experience......When what your describing happened to my guy, I was to up his lasix till I could get him breating better, then go back down to maintenance dose after about 3 days.......Has that ever been tried?
Anyway, I'm thinking about you and cried with you when I read your post....It reminded me of days gone by.....You've done an amazing job treating his CHF for 4 years....I commend you for that....Life is too short with our beloved creatures, I know......
Please, come back with updates if you can......Until then, my heart goes out to you & your Billy.......Give him a kiss from me......I DO love those Bichonly guys!!!!! Sincerely, Karla
No, please don't say you're sorry, it was my mistake completely by not explaining myself well. Bill has improved a smidgen from this morning in the fact that he has managed to toddle into the kitchen and out again but he is still taking short, laboured breaths, his tongue is a gey colour and the poor little chap just tries to lay on his side and rest. He hasnt been to the toilet today even though we have carried him out to the garden several times he just seems so weak and poorly. We know he is at the end of the road, he has done so well over the past 4 years and all this has happened so suddenly. I feel that now is the time to say goodbye but my husband (Ray) doesnt want to let him go. He keeps hoping upon hope that our darling little Bill all bright and breezy, tously hair and laughing face will come bounding through the door. Many tears have been shed this morning I can tell you! So we shall wait one more night and if things are very much the same then I shall call Steve our vet first thing in the morning. We have never felt such heartache as we feel now, we feel ragged and torn to see our darling sweet Bill fading away before our eyes. Please say a little prayer tonight and ask for him to go to Rainbow Bridge in his sleep. Thank you so much for listening to me, I hope I havent upset you Ginger or anyone else who may read this. Thank you for listening to me. God Bless.
COMMUNITY LEADER
I am so sorry. I didn't really see how bad he is right now. The laboured breathing may be because he has fluid around his lungs. It will be hard for him to get every breath, so all his energy will be concentrated on that.
If you do need a vet urgently, do call the vet's number. (This works in the UK anyway) There will be a recorded message, giving an out-of-hours number to ring. It'll probably be a mobile number. Don't be afraid to call it. That's what they're there for.
There may well be something they can do to ease his breathing, or take off some fluid.
My thoughts are with you. I hope he will be OK yet.
If you do need a vet urgently, do call the vet's number. (This works in the UK anyway) There will be a recorded message, giving an out-of-hours number to ring. It'll probably be a mobile number. Don't be afraid to call it. That's what they're there for.
There may well be something they can do to ease his breathing, or take off some fluid.
My thoughts are with you. I hope he will be OK yet.
Thank you for replying Ginger. As I write this my husband and I are laying with Bill. He is fighting for his breath and hasnt eaten anything since the day before yesterday (the chicken episode). He is so tired and his breathing is so laboured. It is Sunday here in England so there are no veterinary clinics open. If he is still like this tomorrow morning we shall have to call out the vet. He has been on his new tablets for many months (the Fortekor is for his heart and Prolactin is a duieretic). Perhaps my initial message did not convey how worried we are and how ill he is. I just wanted some reassurance as we are so upset.
COMMUNITY LEADER
First of all, you are not rambling! You are giving us some good info. to work with. I would much rather read more details than just a one-liner!
It's possible he has had a tummy upset which has nothing whatsoever to do with his condition? That can happen, even with a dog who is quite sick. They can get all the usual little upsets as well! Just maybe now his tummy is settled he'll be better?
I wouldn't suggest putting a dog to sleep who gets up early looking for his breakfast, and then wolfs down some chicken. Sounds like he has a way to go yet.
It's also possible he is having some side effects from his medication? As a one-off, and if he settles ok, then it's probably just a tummy upset. But it wouldn't hurt to have a word with your vet about this. Likewise, his lethargy could possibly have something to do with his medication. I am unsure of the full side-effects of Prolactin and Fusekor (Prolactin? Is that used to calm him?)
I think you should ask your vet about the full spectrum of possible side effects.
It's possible he has had a tummy upset which has nothing whatsoever to do with his condition? That can happen, even with a dog who is quite sick. They can get all the usual little upsets as well! Just maybe now his tummy is settled he'll be better?
I wouldn't suggest putting a dog to sleep who gets up early looking for his breakfast, and then wolfs down some chicken. Sounds like he has a way to go yet.
It's also possible he is having some side effects from his medication? As a one-off, and if he settles ok, then it's probably just a tummy upset. But it wouldn't hurt to have a word with your vet about this. Likewise, his lethargy could possibly have something to do with his medication. I am unsure of the full side-effects of Prolactin and Fusekor (Prolactin? Is that used to calm him?)
I think you should ask your vet about the full spectrum of possible side effects.
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