my dog kaiser

[Janhhh]

My dog Kaiser is a thirteen year old staff, he is my life, his story is very simular to the dog Billys, who i have just read about on here, he has been happy go lucky and healthy up untill the last 4 months, he started to cough every now and again as though he was out of breath, then it seemed to get worse, i gave him an asprin for a week low dosage and he seemed really well in hiself but then stopped them and the cough was back but more like a chest infection so i took him to the vets and she put him on antibiotics for a week, this did not seam to work so i took him back she xrayed him and said he has an enlarged heart, put him on vet medin and frusecare, he seems ten time worse now his lungs sound terrible much worse than before and after reading about vetmedin the side affects are Some more serious side effects of Vetmedin are shortness of breath and ataxia (uncoordinated neurological movements why would they give me this knowing it makes the breathing worse, if the fusecare is to help the fluid on the lungs could i not give him this with asprin as asprin would help the enlarge heart i think please can you help please. Janhhh

[Janhhh]

Can i just mither you yet again Ginger, like you say to walk Kaiser as he still likes to go a walk and he did trot on the field yesterday and seemed so happy, I want to ask  you with chf do dogs have good days and bad days with the medication because this is what seems to be happening and also do the fusecare tablets remove all the fluid off the lungs or just some of it, thanks for listening so much. Janet

[Janhhh]

Hi Ginger, just too let you know went to the vets about Kaiser had a chat with her with my concerns, asked for a medical report for my own notes, Kaiser has been kept on the medication and did seem to have settled down, ie the coughing in the night, he seems to have good nights and bad nights, sometimes his coughing is minimal but last night it was every two hours, the vet said this is the fluid coming off the lungs, i should have asked her how long this will take because after the first two weeks on the fusecare which i think is a water tablet to remove the fluid, she has said to only give him half of the tablet instead of a full one. I guess i just have to wait and see, its so sad in the day Kaiser is so full of life and wants to go out and play with his ball in the house even though he is 13, its just at night he becomes a different dog and the next morning when he has had a bad night, his eyes look black and tired, its so sad to watch and to be able to do nothing, he s like my furry child and i love him so much.

[ginger899]

Oh I am so sorry, I really have no idea about prognosis for CHF, I guess each individual case is so different. And I have no experience with using Vetmedin.

But all these things are vital questions you need to be asking your vet. Or if you are not getting the answers you need, and you are only seeing a worsening of Kaiser's condition, then you really do need a second opinion from a different vet. And you need to be able to discuss the treatment or any questions you may have about it -at length if necessary -with the vet.

It could be either....the condition itself is not responding sufficiently to the medication....or it may be that even with treatment, the condition is worsening....and I don't know, and neither do you, you need the vet to give you a professional opinon.
I really do wish you well with this. It sounds sensible at the moment, to exercise Kaiser gently. He will still want to go out, and should. But maybe no dramatic running about at this moment.

[Janhhh]

Just to say Ginger he had fluid on the lungs before i gave him the vet medin and was coughing then the vet says to give Kaiser 1 vetmedin twice daily and the same with fusecare but with the fusecare 1 to be taken twice a day for the first two weeks and then half a tablet twice a day thats only with the fusecare, he still wants to go on his walks i took him to the beach today, i use to take him out 3 times a day on long walks but since this decided to cut it down, can i ask you ginger how long does a dog usually last with chf on these tablets, i suppose i want to prepare myself, its so difficult. thankyou

[Janhhh]

Thank you for your response, and advise, he seemed to cough during the night about two hours atfer sleeping and then it does persist throughout the night every hour or so, I will phone the vet tommorrow for her advise on this. thank you so much, its nice to know there is someone to ask questions or there to help you when you need it in this situatiion, its so sad when you know your dog has only got a matter of time, i do appreciate it so much. Janet

[ginger899]

I wouldn't give him anything else while he is on the vetmedin, without the vet's advice. That includes any supplements, even vitamins and minerals.

The usual dose of vetmedin for dogs is 0.23mg per pound divided into 2 portions to be given 12 hours apart. Fluid accumulation on the lungs can be as a result of possible overdose. So check the dosage is correct, and isn't too high for him. Check this with the vet. Some medications have very fine-lines between effective dosage and too-high dosage. I don't know whether vetmedin comes into this category or not
However there are usually other effects noted with a too-high dosage as well....such as lethargy, drowsiness, possble diarrhea, loss of appetite, inco-ordination.

You do definitely need to speak to your vet very soon about the exacerbation in his breathing and congestion symptoms.