Coughing :-(

[Pepsi]

Thank you all for your best wishes. So sorry that Izzy is poorly too. We're just back from the vet. He said that Charlie's heart doesn't sound as strong as it should, and he's added in Vetmedin. Anyone tried this? Also going to keep him on a higher dose of Frusemide for a couple of days. Vet said he should be fine in car for journey to Wales, so we're going. He is quite calm in the car, and settles down quite quickly.

Thank you all again. Hope you have a fab Christmas (and I hope we do too! ). Will post when back from hols.

Pepsi x

[Justine]

hope all goes all goes well.sorry the old fella .know how you all feel.

[Nicki]

Oh Pepsi I'm sorry to hear about this...have been thinking of you over the last few days, I thought you were due to be going away.

Vetmedin can be very effective - it doesn't help every dog, but for those it does, there can be a very good improvement. I'm sure they will have told you, but you need to give it on an empty stomach.

You might need to make more frequent stops with the higher dose of Frusemide...and to time it well, they usually need to wee about 1 to 1 1/2 hours after a dose. And there might be the odd accident on it too, so make sure to take a clean up kit...


We hope you manage to have a good Christmas, and to make some special memories to treasure - will be thinking of you and sending lots of postiive, healing thoughts.

Please let us know as soon as you are home...

[Karlin]

Vetmedin definitely at this phase -- that should really help. I'd try to get that started immediately if you can. It completely changed Hammer/Hammie within a day, as Yvonne can testify, and is suppsoed to be particularly good at the point a dog starts to cough. There's an article in the MVD forum on this; please also see the very detailed explanations in the Health Library, up near the top, on MVD dogs from PatB -- a real expert in this area.

I am sorry to hear Pepsi is having these difficulties but might have quite some time yet on Vetmedin; on average it adds many months of comfortable life at least.

[judy]

barbara, i'm sorry to hear about izzy. sounds like a nasty cough. i hope upping the dose will give him, and you, some relief and comfort..

[Cathy Moon]

Pepsi, I am going to move your thread to the 'SM and MVD' forum, but will leave a 'shadow' topic here as well. That way people won't lose sight of it very easily, as can happen in this 'Health and Diet' forum.

[Cathy Moon]

We're sending all our positive thoughts to you and Charlie! Hope you have a nice trip and that Charlie enjoys himself too!

[Barbara Nixon]

Vetmedin is certainly good and quick acting. Izzy got Fortekor 5 when he first started caoughing, two years ago (grade 6 even then). He had breathing difficulties as the wether warmed, so got Vetmedin which took effect very quickly. Then with hot weather he had a relapse so had the dose doubled. These drugs kept him well, though he had a slight cough still, until the end of this summer, when he needed frusicare, as fluid had started to build.

With the new extra Frusicare, he seems to have come round again. We had a good night with onlt one little cough. The wether is milder, so I think it was to blame. all our relapses have been in extreme wether conditions.

[misty]

Oh Pepsi, I'm so sorry that Charlie's poorly.

I wish I'd seen this thread yesterday, but your vet's done just what I would've suggested.

Vetmedin is a wonderful drug. When Cailean started coughing, they didn't offer Vetmedin at first. When he went back after a week with no improvement on the drugs prescribed, I INSISTED on Vetmedin. Luckily, all our vets know I've been through this with another dog and are happy for me to take an active part in decisions about his meds.

If the extra Frusecare and Vetmedin don't relieve the cough quickly (within 2-3 days), I'd take him back to your vet as soon as you can. There's another drug, Corventyl, which oftens helps the cough, as it helps to open up the airways.

There must be an emergency vet somewhere near where you're going .... so if he was really poorly, you'd have support. Keep an eye on Charlie tho' .... use your commonsense and gut feelings. Not to frighten anyone, but if they are more poorly than usual, get help, as things can happen quickly. Dogs with MVD are also very good at giving scares, as Barbara knows only too well too. Cailean gave me the worst scare ever in the summer, when he ended up on oxygen in the emergency vets, and hospitalised overnight.

Barbara, I hope Izzy feels ok over Christmas. He's doing so well - 2 years on meds, and a Grade 6 .... I didn't realise. That is encouraging news for those of us going through the same thing. I'd love Cailean to do that well.

[Barbara Nixon]

He was a 4/5 in the June, with no symptoms, then went rapidly to a 6 by December. I know someone else whose bitch did exactly the same, but even at 6 she didn't have any symptoms for ages. She was better than Izzy, but then, earlier this year, she went downhill rapidly and had to be pts.

The vet gave Izzy, Fortekor first, to slow his heart down. He had had a slight cough, very like KC since early December, but I assumed it was KC, as he'd been in contact with it. I went to the vet expecting antibiotics, so was quite shocked at the outcome.

About Eastertime, we had some warm , close wether and he started to mouth breath a lot, so was put on Vetmedin to 'open the tubes'. I'm not sure whetherthese 'tubes' were bloodvessels or airways. This was doubled in the hot summer, when he had a similar relapse and the vet said we were coming to the end..of what could be done.

With the odd off days, associated with hot, very wet or very changeable weather, he did fine until the end of this years hot spell. Then he started mouth breathing and panting, sides heaving. Also his hernia was hard, making me think he was now beginning to retaiin water and I was right. The vet gave him Frusicare (2xhalf), but said we would have to have a serious think, if he wasn't better within three days. He was fine the next day.

Having talked to people who've had dogs with mvd (not all ckcs) I think they are affected by the actual airpressure, as well as temperature and humidity.