Update on Leo's heart

We had a followup appointment at the vet today. Leo has been on the cardiac drugs and diuretics for a month now and they wanted to see how he is doing.

The vet we saw is the same one we've seen since the beginning as he requested that he follow Leo through which I am more than happy with.

He is very pleased with him. He has decreased the frusemide for 2 weeks then if he's ok we can decrease it further leaving him on a permanent smaller dose. His heart rate is now normal as is his breathing. He also said I can start increasing Leo's walks again providing he tolerates them. :p Im glad about this as I really want to keep his weight down.

I know this improvement maybe short lived but Im delighted. In himself Leo is the same old Leo....I have to take him back in 5 weeks (unless his condition changes) and then he should be followed up every 3 months....the vet said he also wants to do another scan at some point to monitor closely any deterioration of his heart.

The vet did say its hard to hear Leo's heart at times as when he put the stethoscope to Leo's chest, Leo insists on giving lots of kisses to him:biggrin:

Can anyone suggest the correct length of walk now.....I was thinking maybe 20-30mins and see how he goes...

Thanks

Mel x

It's good to hear that Leo is doing so well. His treatment plan sounds a lot like Sydney's was. His cardiologist, initially, kept him lower doses of the meds then was able to increase as needed. She would also scan every 3 months or so.

As for exercise, I would start at 20 minutes and avoid any hills until you see what he tolerates then slowly increase it more. Leo is probably going to be thrilled to be on walks again.

I chuckled when you said Leo's heart is heard to hear because of the kissing. I took BellaMia in for her year vaccinations and the vet had a hard time hearing her heart too only for her it was that BellaMia was wagging her tail and wiggling her butt too fast! I had to hold onto both.

I would start on two 10 minute walks and see how he goes. If he's OK, then gradually increase them. What you don't want is to embark on a longish walk and halfway through he sits down and says firmly 'That's enough for today, thank you'. and you're stuck! Another way to do it would be to borrow a buggy, so that you can pop Leo in when he gets tired, but he can still enjoy watching the world go by and meeting people. It also enables you to take him to different places a bit further afield, rather than the same boring bit of pavement or grass. Shame you're rather far from Coventry or you could borrow mine!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

PS Forgot to say what good news from the vet, so glad Leo's doing well.

Thank you....Kate I wish we lived closer too as I'd take you up on your offer of a "buggy borrow"

On that note does anyone use a buggy and can recommend a make? Ive thought about getting one if they're worth it

So pleased that the medication has helped Leo and he is now much improved. Jasper stayed on a very low dose of Frusemide until the past few months, he now has 1 tablet a day, Jasper gets walked for about 20 - 25 mins a walk, and would probably still go further if allowed.

Made me laugh about Leo kissing the Vet, this is something Ollie would do, but Jasper definitely would not - he can`t wait to get out the door.

Re buggies: mine is a fairly lightweight four-wheeler. It's fine on pavements, firm paths and short, even grass. It folds up neatly and is easy to carry. It isn't tough enough for 'off-road' work on bumpy paths and tussocky grass. You can get much sturdier three-wheelers that are 'all-terrain', which are more expensive and don't fold up so neatly to pack into a car. If you google 'pet strollers' you'll find a number of firms making/selling them, which will give you some idea of what's available and prices. I would think that one like mine would be adequate for Leo at the moment - hopefully he'll not need back-up for his walking for very long. If it's cheaper to drive to Coventry and borrow mine rather than buy one, let me know! Or we could meet up halfway...

Kate, Oliver and Aled

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Originally Posted by Kate H

Re buggies: mine is a fairly lightweight four-wheeler. It's fine on pavements, firm paths and short, even grass. It folds up neatly and is easy to carry. It isn't tough enough for 'off-road' work on bumpy paths and tussocky grass. You can get much sturdier three-wheelers that are 'all-terrain', which are more expensive and don't fold up so neatly to pack into a car. If you google 'pet strollers' you'll find a number of firms making/selling them, which will give you some idea of what's available and prices. I would think that one like mine would be adequate for Leo at the moment - hopefully he'll not need back-up for his walking for very long. If it's cheaper to drive to Coventry and borrow mine rather than buy one, let me know! Or we could meet up halfway...

Kate, Oliver and Aled

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Hi Kate
Thank you so much.......Ive googled strollers and had a good look. At the moment Ive increased Leo's walks a little and he is tolerating them fine so I think we're ok at present :)
If and when the time comes I will think about your very kind offer, it was so nice of you.

Hope all your little pack are well

Thanks again

Mel x

I'm so glad Leo's walking is going well. My 'pack' (all two of them!) are doing well, considering all the ills they have among them - Oliver has mild SM, mild heart murmur, dry eye, almost total deafness, and osteo-arthritis and curvature of the spine, and he's 12 so also has some things that are just old age; Aled has mild SM, a non-symptomatic grade 4 murmur, keratosis and myoclonus! I dole out so many pills I sometimes feel like a pharmacy! But really we are so well off compared with some (thinking lately of Nicki and Lauren); we spent a lovely hour this afternoon walking round a big park in the sunshine. Aled ran around and said hello to every small dog we met, Oliver sniffed every tree, trotted to catch us up, and thoroughly enjoyed his walk. I bought them some interactive toys for Christmas and they are really having fun with them (not to mention lots of extra treats!).

Kate, Oliver and Aled

We had another check up today on Leo. The vet was really pleased as his heart rate and breathing were both normal :)
we have decreased his frusemide so I was hoping he hadnt taken a step back wards.
He was coughing a bit more on Friday so I was wondering if the frusemide needed upping again but since then he's hardly coughed at all and his exercise tolerance has increased:p
The vet said if he starts coughing more again I can give him the frusemide 3 times a day again.
So we can walk him as tolerated at the moment (about 45mins - 1hr) which hopefully he will continue to be ok on. He's playful again and seems like his old self...just a little slower at times.
Im delighted at the moment.
The vet wants to book him in with the cardiologist again in about 4-6weeks for another scan to compare if his heart has deteriorated much since the last scan in December.
The vet did say he is pleasantly surprised that he is tolerating the meds at present and they seem to be keeping him comfortable and stable.

I have everything crossed that he will stay as he is for a long time yet, but only time will tell.
At least he is enjoying life at the moment now we can walk him a bit more (if only the rain would stop:rolleyes:)

Mel x

This is certainly good news! I too will keep everything crossed that he stays with you for a very long time.