Bonnie

[sallymum]

Bonnie the cav i took on awhile ago with a grade 5 murmer is now doing very bad. She is coughing the whole time and nothing seems to ease it. Poor thing is sounding so distressed the whole time. Am bringing her to vets in the morning but is there anything i can do to ease things. I know i went through this with Sam but he didnt have this constant cough. Poor mite cant even get of the sofa without a coughing fit. Would Bonnie be as distressed as it sounds.

[Claire L]

Sorry to hear that Bonnie is so poorly. Is she on any medication?? Usually Lasic is prescribed for the fluid build up that causes the cough. My Rudee was on lasic 1/2 tab twice daily but she only ever coughed once first thing in the morning.
I'm sure the Vet will prescribe something to give her relief. It must be very distressing for you watch her discomfort. you get some good help from the Vet.

[sallymum]

Bonnie is on Lasic and vetmedin. Last time i was there about 2 weeks ago with the cough he said we were running out of options.

[Claire L]

Mary, I'm sorry that I can't be of any help as I don't have great experience with coughing in Cavaliers but I found this link on a previous post http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/MVDincavaliers/ you might get some better info there.

[frecklesmom]

Some little things to help would be a small fan, a pillow to lift (elevate) her head while resting, decrease walking time if you can carry her and soft food so that eating doesn't require a lot of energy -hard to eat and breathe at the same time- and you might set her bowls up higher so she keeps her lungs expanded as she drinks or eats. Keeping her cool will stress her less and help with being comfortable. No cures just comfort measures and I hope there are more to come.

[Cleo's Person]

Sallymum, I'm so sorry that Bonnie isn't doing well. I have no advice but just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you.

[Karlin]

The Yahoo MVD list may well have some suggestions. Unfortunately though, by the time they are on these good medications but also still showing serious symptoms then mainly you are just giving palliative care and importantly: making sure your dog doesn't suffer unnecessarily or in a prolonged way, by making the difficult choices at a responsible time. It is always a heart-wrenching time for an owner and I'd consult very closely with your vet as to what your dog is experiencing and whether she is now in serious distress as s/he is the person who can best advise. Generally if she seems to be struggling and having a hard time, she is, and you need to make decisions about the quality of her life in consultation with your vet.

[sallymum]

Ur totally right Karlin. I know this is what the vet is going to say when i bring her down. I know i will have to make this decision prob today and i knew when i took her on a couple of months ago what would happen as was there last yr with Sam. Still glad i took her though as she has gave us lots of great times ,such an affectionate lady.
The hard thing about it is that she has, apart from this horrible cough, which she has nearly 24 hrs aday ,came on leaps and bounds. When we got her first she was a very poor eater sometimes going 2 days without eating and this wasnt been fussy. Now, even this morning, she loves her food she will eat twice aday. She still loves to be cuddled and if she could would still go on walks which is now impossible as god love her she will cough the whole way there and back, the walk we used to do is only up and down my street which crawling only takes 3-4 mins.

[Claire L]

Mary, my thoughts and prayers are with you and Bonnie today

[ann]

I know just how you are feeling, I had to make a decision a couple of years ago with my 15 year old Yorki. We had the vet come to the house to let Toby slip away peacefully ...and our cat died 'peacefully' just two months before Toby. They are buried at the bottom of our garden..
You are in my thoughts