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Bonnie

sallymum

Registered user
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.
 
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. :xfngr: you get some good help from the Vet.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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. :hug: :hug:
 
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. :flwr:
 
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.
 
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..
:hug: You are in my thoughts :(
 
You are in my thoughts and prayers. Bonnie is so blessed to have you in her life and you are just as blessed to have been touched by this sweet lady. Thoughts are with you today as you may have to make some difficult decisions.
 
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.

Heard that of Izzy, who went on for 18 more months. His cough, brought on by exertion, didn't really bother him and his most obvious problem was rapid breathing, but except for two flare ups during hot weather , when he got Vetmedin, then more Vetmedin, this didn't bother him either. I took him to the vet twice , expecting the worst and being given a second chancd, so I dearly hope it's the same for you.

Monty's cough (more today, actually) is first thing, brief and doesn't bother him at all.

Monty is on Fortekor and Frusemide. Izzy was on Fortekor, then Fortekor with Vetmedin and eventually with Frusemide, as he had little fluid buildup, until his last months.

Monty has coughed a couple of extra times today, but I notice that the atmosphere has changed. A change whether good to bad or vice versa weather, always affected Izzy and a friend's poodle. When Izzy got to needing Frusemide, I used to increase his dose for a few days, if his symptoms lasted more than 24 hours. The vet said this was the thing to do, as he was taking a dose well below the safety level.
 
My poodle, Chloe (my screen name is after her) is my only pet to have ever gone to the bridge naturally. She had this same cough you're talking about for about 6 months before she passed. One night, we took all three of the dogs for a walk and she was in her carrier (she could no longer walk any distance) but loved to go. When we got back home, I set her carrier on the porch and held her while my hubby and I rocked and watched the world go by. Suddenly she let out a scream and had a heart attack right there on my lap. It was crazy, but I was so glad I didn't have to put her down I don't think I could have done it. She was my *special* one. I feel for you- this is never easy....it's so hard to be the judge of when the right time is. Good luck. I'm thinking about you.
 
Sallysmum - Your situation brought tears to my eyes especially when you spoke of her progress :(
Best wishes to both/all of you how upsetting.
Chloe92us - Oh my goodness,how awful.
 
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The vet has put bonnie now on Frusemide as well as the others. Also was givin a injection of Frusemide as well to help get rid of the Fluid. Hopefully things will settle down for awhile at least.
Anyone any ideas to make givin these tablets to Bonnie easier, she can be very sneaky and always seems to now when the tablets are hidden and spits them out.
Also thanks to everyone for ur advise and good wishes for Bonnie. :flwr:
 
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