Moviedust
Well-known member
Bella is 7, almost 8 years old, and she was a puppy mill foster fail for me 6 years ago. She recently started coughing, and I suspected MVD. Last week, the vet confirmed heart disease, with a 2 - 3 stage murmur with a heart size measurement of 12.1. A year ago in Oct, she struggled with anesthesia for a routine dental cleaning. We had an xray at that time to check her heart, and it was normal at 9.
My doctor, after conferring with a cardiologist at the local vet school, recommended a triple cocktail of Vetmedin, Enalapril, and Lasix(furosemide). She takes 1.25mg Vetmedin and 2.5mg Enalapril twice a day, and she takes 12.5mg Lasix just once a day. She takes them all easily, and she's been on them for about a week at this point. It's an expensive cocktail ($80/mo), but when all is said and done I didn't want to think I could have done more. I have no idea how long she has with us; aside from the cough she seems her normal self, which basically means she wants to sleep and cuddle all day, and she gets excited for food and any treats. She keeps a close eye on my daughter, though at this point she generally tries to keep a safe distance when the kid is flitting about (clearly, you have to give a 2 yr old kid her space).
I know Bella isn't going to get better and that we're really just trying to prolong the inevitable. While she's my first dog to suffer from heart disease, I do have three other cavaliers that are older than Bella (8.5 - almost 10 yrs). So I'm trying to learn what I can to prepare myself and to give my girls the best that I can in their golden years.
My doctor, after conferring with a cardiologist at the local vet school, recommended a triple cocktail of Vetmedin, Enalapril, and Lasix(furosemide). She takes 1.25mg Vetmedin and 2.5mg Enalapril twice a day, and she takes 12.5mg Lasix just once a day. She takes them all easily, and she's been on them for about a week at this point. It's an expensive cocktail ($80/mo), but when all is said and done I didn't want to think I could have done more. I have no idea how long she has with us; aside from the cough she seems her normal self, which basically means she wants to sleep and cuddle all day, and she gets excited for food and any treats. She keeps a close eye on my daughter, though at this point she generally tries to keep a safe distance when the kid is flitting about (clearly, you have to give a 2 yr old kid her space).
I know Bella isn't going to get better and that we're really just trying to prolong the inevitable. While she's my first dog to suffer from heart disease, I do have three other cavaliers that are older than Bella (8.5 - almost 10 yrs). So I'm trying to learn what I can to prepare myself and to give my girls the best that I can in their golden years.