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Little Harry is poorly - need advice

xoxHannaHxox

Well-known member
Wow, it's been almost a year since I posted about my Little Harry, I was afraid we were inches away from that big decision we all dread.. Thankfully he made a recovery after a few days and I have been blessed with him for another year. He has been very happy and I have been closely monitoring his quality of life. However, now I'm stuck..

It's now Tuesday AM. On Saturday Harry vomited 4 times a yellow and very frothy substance. On sunday - nothing. Yesterday morning he vomited the same again according to my dad. He is drooling a lot and I have been wiping his mouth when I spot it hanging out. He is also smacking his lips a lot and doing this sort of sharp inhalation for about 5 seconds. I have heard his doing this before but only when he has eaten his food to quickly. When he breathes he sounds like he has a phlegmy throat.

I took him to his vet who just said its a side effect from MVD and to monitor him. Well I felt I already knew that.. but he didn't give much more advice.

Can anyone please help or share any experiences??
 
I haven't experienced this with Trapper, who has CHF because of MVD. Some mornings he sounds phlegmy first thing when we get up, like he needs to have a good cough to clear something. I hope Harry is feeling better now.
When the heart can't pump properly, fluid can build up in the heart, lungs and abdomen, maybe this is what is happening with Harry. Have you looked at this website
http://www.cavalierhealth.org/mitral_valve_disease.htm#Symptoms
Is Harry on any medication?
 
Hi Thanks for your reply! Harry is on the highest possible dose of Fortekor, Frusomide, Prilactone and vzetmedin :(

He had a bad night last night, I stayed up with him as he threw up white froth with yellow 3 times as once this morning. A part of me wonders if it is even part of his MVD? It must be I suppose.. But he is throwing up a few hours after eating which makes it difficult to give him his tablets. He sounds so bunged up with mucus and his tummy is rumbling. I don't know what to do :(
 
Hi Thanks for your reply! Harry is on the highest possible dose of Fortekor, Frusomide, Prilactone and vzetmedin :(
So is Trapper :( At this stage, it's all about keeping them as comfortable and as happy as possible.
I would give the vet a call to see what he says, even if it is just for reassurance. It could be a build up of fluid in Harry's tummy which is causing this.
Hopefully someone else here has had experience of this and can give you some better advice. :xfngr:
 
I have a cavalier with MVD who is on Fortekor and Frusimide tablets, he does cough at times but his cough to me sounds like a dry cough, and very occasionally bring up a small amount of clear frothy phlem. Do you think Harry may have a stomach upset? my Jasper was bringing up a yellow frothy liquid earlier this year and at the same time he had colitis so it was all part of a stomach upset which required a visit to the vets who gave him a anti sickness injection and other medication. Hope Harry gets well soon it is such a worry when they are ill.
 
If Harry was one of my dogs I wouldn't be wondering whether to see the vet or not, I would be beating a path to his door to find out if he needs further treatment.:)
 
I have taken him to see our vet already who said it was a side effect of his MVD. This vet is actually a director of the practice and said he was on the highest dose of his medication already. He gave me no further advice but to keep an eye on him. I have searched the web and I can't find one dot of info that relates his symptoms to his heart failure.

I went again today but there is no one I could talk to till later on today.
 
I'm so sorry to read that your little boy is in so much discomfort. I'm not sure that I am able to help at all but I just want to say that I am thinking of you & Harry.

It is difficult to be quite sure what is happening from your description, but it does sound as if he is having difficulty breathing.
I know he had severe MVD symptoms last year. Perhaps an urgent referral to a Cardiologist or has he recently been seen by one already?

I'm not sure about the vomiting. I have not experienced that symptom with my MVD cavaliers and I would have thought vomiting bile was more due to digestive problems or stomach irritation.
It could be a side effect of the long term heart drugs I suppose.

Please let us know how he is doing.
 
Thank you for your kind words. I have been in touch with a practice who's director is a cardiologist so I am going to do everything I can to get Harry an appointment for tomorrow.

I am not hopeful to be honest. Our regular vet already said there was no more medication for him, he has had bad spells but not like this before with the sickness etc. He has lost a lot of weight from the sickness and also because every time he tries to eat he starts reverse sneezing which gets him stressed. My eyes are so sore from crying. My sister found an old photo of Harry and I cuddled up together when I was about 11, I am now 20 and cant imagine living without my little soulmate, I keep thinking about the picture. I lost my job in September so we have been spending more or less the the whole day every day together and he is the only thing that gets me through.

I am just so worried and I know that the end is near, I just dont know what I am going to do without him I have never felt heartache like this, it is agony but no one else in my family seems to understand except my boyfriend. The house will just seem so empty and lifeless and I know everytime I wake up or come home I will be thinking "where is Harry?" and it will just be awful.

Eugh I am so sorry I just need to write this down.:(
 
It is so hard when you and your dog have grown up together. Harry is your brother. I'm so glad your boyfriend understands. I have tears in my eyes just from feeling your pain as I read your post. I hope you get the appointment with the cardiologist. Even if it is Harry's time, you will know that you have loved him and given him the best life you knew how to and he has loved you back. But maybe he'll be one of those dogs that has nine lives like a cat. Rmember how he was a year ago and how he pulled through. Let us know if you get an appointment and how it goes.
 
I can hear your pain, and I am so sorry. I will continue to pray for your both. Try to focus on all that Harry has given you, and that he would not want you to feel such pain. And I am so glad your boyfriend understands. Let him be there for you.
 
Keeping You and Harry in my thoughts

I have been reading your posts about your beloved Harry and I really hope you can get him some help. I totally understand your fear as I lost my soulmate scooby to MVD in october after we spent 9 years together , I too felt the fear and pain when you know it might be coming to an end but I can reassure you , the strength is inside you to do the best and right thing for Harry when the time comes .

I hope you can give the little guy some relief and keep him with you a while longer , rest assured he knows you are doing the best for him and I can tell you both of you will find peace and stength with what comes in the future.

Its only 7 weeks since I lost my precious boy Scooby but I know I did the right thing for him right up until the end , I still miss him every day/hour but I know he is never far away as he will always be in my heart....

Keeping you in my thoughts

Sharon XX
 
Hi. I hope you managed to get Harry seen by the cardiologist today. I can totally understand how you are feeling. We all know that our dogs won't be with us forever, but we don't want our time with them to end too early either. I really hope that Harry will get over whatever it is that is bothering him and that you will have a lot more time together.
 
Sharon - Thank you so much for keeping us in your thoughts. I am so sad to hear about Scooby, I cant imagine how you must be feeling. I hope the memories and happiness of the love you shared together give you strength when you need it most.

Harry did not manage to get an appointment with the Cardiologist today. I visited my Vet for a referral but he isnt in till later on, he will ring me this evening and we will see how this weekend goes as I have no other choice yet but to make him an appointment for ASAP next week.

I am trying not to get my hopes but I think Harry may be feeling a little better today. He has managed to keep his tablets down so far :xfngr: He has also eaten some plain cooked chicken which he managed to pick out from the rest of his dry biscuits but at least it's a start. He seems a little less phlegmy so I carried him till we got to the park then we had a little play on the field. He is now having a snooze by the heater :luv:

I am so trying not to get my hopes up.

I know that when the time comes I will know (and I know it will be soon,) but I have told my mum to tell me incase I am blinded by my fear of letting him go. It's just the part leading up to it that is confusing, sometimes I think maybe it is time, and others he is skipping around with a sparkle in his eye. I am keeping a close eye on his quality of life, I often ask myself whether I am being selfish as reading stories online, it seems people have their little ones PTS with many less symptoms than Harry ?? Then I think because I am SO worried about keeping him with me because I am selfish, it probably means that I'm not. I hope that makes sense.

Everyday with Harry is a blessing so we are just taking each day as it comes. I will keep updating here, maybe I can use it as a sort of diary entry to help track his progress so it isnt all muddled in my head. :( Thank you everybody for your love and support, I am so appreciative.
 
So pleased hes a little brighter......

I have just read your latest post Iam so pleased Harry is trying to eat and is a little brighter , he sounds like a special boy........ Cavaliers are so strong and they cope with MVD with such determination and strength and harry is one of those strong characters....

I know exactly how you are feeling now , I also had the fear I would have kept scooby around for my own purpose and there were so many times when we thought it was over but he came back from the brink...... When it came to the end I knew I had done everything and despite my heart breaking myself and my husband made the right decision and gave scooby peace......

If you ever feel its all too much and you need to vent your emotions or have any questions feel free to message me at anytime .......

Iam keeping eveything crossed for you guys over the weekend ..... Let me know how your getting on...

Hugs

Sharon XX
 
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