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Charlie's not too well

Rj Mac

Rj Mac

Well-known member
We'r a little concerned this evening for Charlie, our 12 year old, he's just not been his self at all since around tea time, quite lethargic....but at the same time not really wanting to sit or lie down....if that makes sense, he's been really clingy tonight, on my lap for most of the evening, which is not his style....he enjoys cuddles and attention, but is normally not a lap dog, he prefers just to lie near you, and panting quite a lot, which again is out of the norm, as he has a Murmor, we'v allready spoke to the emergency on call vet, and have been instructed to monitor him overnight, and go in 1st thing in the morning for a check, however if he gets worse overnight we'v to get straight back in touch and take it from there, im hoping that it's just a wee fluctuation, and with a little tweek of his meds he'l settle back to normal, this is what the vet was talking about anyway, but at the same time we'r a little fraght at the minute, 101 things start to go thru your head, but we'l have a better idea in the morning, and he's spending the night on our bed so we can keep a close eye on him

R.
 
Hi guys,

Thank you for your good wishes, we had Charlie at the Vets this morning, and she was content that his heart hasn't changed and is still stable,so no change on his dose of Vetmedin, but she detected some fluid in his lungs, so his dosage or Prilactone has been increased to try and help disperse it, and we'v to monitor him closely, and he's going back in on Monday for another check to see how he's doing,or sooner if needed, he seems a little more comfortable today, not quite as panty, and definately more settled, so hopefully this will help settle him again

R.
 
That sounds like a more positive report back -- thanks for caring for him so well! :)
 
Oh Ryan my stomach turned over when I read the title...so pleased he is ok though and just needed a tweak of his meds. It sounds like he is more comfortable today - they always let you know when things aren't right.


I hope he is good over the weekend and things go well on Monday.

Special hugs for Charlie - and for you all.
 
Good news about Charlie. I hope things continue to go well for you all.:hug:to Charlie from Spangle
 
Restlessness, not wanting to lie down, and panting are classic symptoms of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema). Is Charlie only taking Vetmedin and spironolactone? Spironolactone is generally not used as the sole diuretic for congestive heart failure because it is a very weak diuretic and is used primarily for its effects on the RAAS (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, a hormone system that helps regulate long-term blood pressure and blood volume in the body). When the degenerative valve disease is advanced enough to cause fluid in the lungs, furosemide (a loop diuretic) is the diuretic that is used as it has a more powerful diuresis effect. Spironolactone can be used in addition to the furosemide. Also, an ACE inhibitor (Fortekor in the UK) is generally given in addition to the Vetmedin (pimobendan). The ACE inhibitor also allows for a lower level of diuretics to be needed, which helps since the diuretics can be hard on the kidneys. Cardiologists often prescribe a combination of meds as the doses can be lower when used in combination and the synergistic effects of the various meds can be much more successful at keeping symptoms under good control. In the US, cardiologists generally don't start Vetmedin until a dog is in congestive heart failure because the drug can have adverse effects if contractility (the pumping strength of the heart) is still normal.

You might want to chat with the vet about the combination of these various drugs as Charlie's MVD is progressing into heart failure. I'm not sure if you are monitoring his progress with chest x-rays or echocardiograms or (ideally) both.

There is good information that you can read if you like to dig into the details. One great source is the recent ACVIM Consensus Paper (written by a team of cardiologists) on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acquired Valvular Disease. Rod has posted a link to that in the SM/MVD section here. Yell if you can't find the link.

Best wishes,

Pat
 
lindylou

hi hope charlie is well today
being through all of that with my rowley at the bridge
loads of love and kisses and medication.
 
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