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Tummy troubles associated with MVD?

CoopsMom

New member
Cooper is 6 and was diagnosed with MVD last year. He's always had a fairly sensitive stomach and certain foods really send him over the edge. I was wondering if this is related to his condition and if we would see some decrease in it since he's been on better medication? Have you noticed any correlation between your dog's MVD and his sensitive stomach? Or am I just blessed with a particularly sensitive cavalier?
 
At what stage (not grade of murmur) is he with his MVD? I presume you don't mean that he is in heart failure? Examples of stage of disease would be like:

Low grade murmur, no heart enlargement, no overt symptoms (no heart failure).
Medium grade murmur, heart enlargement, no overt symptoms (no heart failure).
High grade murmur, significant heart enlargement, coughing and exercise intolerance, compensated on heart meds (officially in heart failure).
High grade murmur, significant heart enlargement and severe valve deterioration, poorly compensated on heart meds.

Gastrointestinal issues usually aren't a part of degenerative valve disease until the disease is in an advanced stage such as the last example. At this point, there can be chronic loose stools because of ascites. Heart meds can certainly cause GI issues - is he taking any heart medications yet? When you say he is now on "better medications" - to what does that refer - medications for his GI issues or heart medications?

Pat
 
He is in the heart failure stage at Stage C with a high grade murmur and significant heart enlargement. He is on heart medications, however he is also on muscle relaxents since he threw his back out recently while coughing. We have been assured by his vet and cardiologist that the two medications will not interact. By "better medications", I am referring to his ACE Inhibitors. He had been on one previously and his cardiologist recently switched him to a different one that he thought would be more effective.
 
I'd wonder has he been checked for something like pancreatitis? What does 'over the edge' mean? With pancreatitis some foods can trigger illness and even for some dogs, life-threatening episodes. Dogs generally need to be on a special diet to handle the condition and avoid having it worsen (which it can do at any time).

If I understand your question you are not saying the tummy problems have worsened, but you are asking if they would improve due to his MVD medications? If so; no I wouldn't think so as his sensitivities would be a separate issue.
 
Hmm, no from what I can recall, he hasn't been checked for any sort pancreatic problem. By over the edge they're not really extreme, he just vomits quite a bit. The food he is on now doesn't seem to upset his stomach but, for example, I had to stop giving him fish oil pills because about an hour later he would vomit about 3 times. He doesn't seem to have diarrhea problems often, sometimes when he gets stressed it can be a little loose.

And yes, his tummy problems have not worsened, they are the same. Sad to see that his stomach problems won't real get any better. Poor guy is just a basket of health problems.
 
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