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Leo at emergency vet

meljoy

meljoy

Well-known member
Leo has had breathing problems for the last day or so. When he rests he has developed a slight wheeze.
He' eating and drinking fine but tonight the wheeze got worse I phoned the emergency vet tonight and he said he wanted to see him.
He thinks it is most probably an upper respiratory infection (? kennel cough, mild as he's vaccinated) but wanted to keep him in overnight to do x-rays in case it is cardiac related.

So Ive just got home without him......the house is empty without him its horrible.

I have to call tomorrow for results....I know I wont sleep tonight
 
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Oh Mel....so sorry that Leo is not well. I'm glad the vets are being proactive and making sure it isn't related to his heart. But do try to rest tonight so when Leo is home tomorrow you'll have plenty of energy to play with him! Sending hugs and good thoughts for Leo's speedy recovery.
 
Oh poor baby and poor you!!! It sounds like he's being well taken care of. Luckily for us, there is a wonderful ER vet about 1.5 miles from us if I ever need it. I have used them several times over the years. When I needed to leave my old beagle with them overnight (years ago this was the unfortunately the illness that we lost him) they even allowed me hang out with him half the night. I hope Leo is better soon. Let us know.
 
The vet has just called. unfortunately the x-rays show Leo's heart is enlarged. They started medication and he's improved this morning.
The plan is to ultra sound scan him next week for a fuller picture then adjust meds accordingly.
The good news is he can come home as he is bright and eating, no change there !
Im obviously worried this came on so quick.

I have an appointment later to discuss things with the vet.

Anyone give advice on what to expect........im so worried

Mel x
 
Well we're back and its not what I wanted to hear.
Leo has MVD which has caused pulmonary oedema. He has started him on Furosemide 20mg twice a day, plus vetmedin 1.25mg twice a day.
The vet was wonderful....he went through the x-ray with me and explained every thing. We go back Monday for a check up, and book the scan. His blood tests were all normal which is a relief.

He was also very honest about the future :(

So my boy is now fast asleep beside me where he belongs...

He is also peeing for England which I guess is good.
Any advice from those of you in the know will be greatly appreciated.

Mel xx
 
The peeing for England is normal when starting on frusomide, it'll settle down in time! I'm so sorry the news is not good, but meds can keep them going with a reasonable quality of life, and the Cavalier enjoyment of what they have, however restricted, for longer than you would think possible, though each dog reacts in individual ways. My Meg carried on for 9 months after going into congestive heart failure - frail, gasping for breath in the early hours of the morning 2 or 3 times a week, but still enjoying her food, pottering round the garden, visiting friends (travelling in my bicycle basket!), and telling me very clearly when she had had enough and it was time to go. I really believe she enjoyed life to the end, loved just lying in my lap being cuddled, loved the fuss she got - and the freshly cooked chicken for breakfast! I found it a very special time, the two of us got very close - and I did a lot of my grieving cuddling Meg on the floor in the middle of the night, waiting for the vetmedin to kick in, and amazed that three hours later she was walking round the garden and asking for her breakfast. Our Cavaliers really are amazing little dogs, and I'm sure you'll find this with Leo, even while you are desperately sad for him.

:hug:

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
I can hear the worry in your post. I was a basket case when Sydney was first diagnosed. But after a while I settled down....and so did he. The medications he is on sound like the same dosages Sydney was first on and he did really well for a while on them for quite some time, but he had some other issues besides MVD and once he went into CHF it was only 9 months before we said goodbye. Like Kate says, just enjoy him....you will get to know when he is tired and needs to rest, don't push him...just allow him to be Leo.

It will be an adjustment for both of you. I hope Leo will be here a good long time.
 
Thank you for your replies.
Leo has already improved.....his breathing is much slower and he's no longer making odd noises :)
He seems his old self.
I know its early days and things will change, one day at a time is all I can do I guess.

The vet said his murmur is now a 3-4......is this relevant to how quickly things will advance?

Thank you again

Mel x
 
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I am so sorry that you are going through this with Leo, but glad that he is a little better today, from my experience with Jasper they are all individual, he has been on medication since he was nearly 10 yrs old, taking Fortekor and Frusimide, he is now Grade 6 and has been for a while, so I consider he has done very well on both medications, but sadly he was quite poorly with coughing a bout 6 weeks or so ago, and like Leo he is now Vetmedin twice a day, he had a 10 day trail, the vet said that they work very quickly if they are going to improve them, I took him to the vets earlier than his 3 month review as he was coughing a lot, the vet was very concerned, Jasper hates the vets and gets in a bit of a state there, but the vet described his heart as like a drum completely out of control and his pulse rate was very high, luckily he improved on the second visit the following week.

I must admit I don`t understand the heart problem with Jasper, he does not breath heavily, he like Leo eats well, and still loves his walks, only once a day now. He chases Ollie round the garden at times, like you said you just have to be aware they have a problem, Jasper will be 14 next March, so don`t know how much longer we will have him, but like Joyce has said they are tough little dogs.

I do hope that Leo will be with you for a long time yet, keep us informed of how he gets on and give him a gentle hug from us:hug:forgot to say I find heat of the central does make Jasper`s cough worse.
 
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Again thank you X
It is lovely to hear from those with 1st hand experience....
Pam Im sorry to hear Jasper has been poorly..... I do hope he improves...your story has given me so much hope although they are all different.
I will read as much as I can so Im up to speed on what I can do to help. Nikki, thanks for the links

Mel xx
 
Thank you for your thoughts Mel, the vet has said that Jasper is now at the tipping point of his heart problem, he does sleep a lot, with him it`s a job to know how much is his age or his illness, but he is not suffering at the moment, he does not understand he is ill, we all just have to do the best for our wonderful little Cavaliers - just wish they did not have to suffer this awful heart problem.
 
1st Lesson learned.......

Never give a dog 20mg of Frusemide then go out for 3 hrs.....

Luckily we have laminate floors :)

At least I know its working !!
 
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I always found it best to give Frusemide at least an hour before I went out so he would have a chance to relieve himself. Poor baby......glad Leo is doing better with the medication!
 
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I'm a bit puzzled, because a 3-4 murmur is nowhere near heart failure, which usually happens at grade 6. If the frusemide deals with the water in the lungs, Leo may well not deteriorate further for some time. Many cardiologists would not start vetmedin for a 3-4 murmur, as it is intended to support a really struggling heart (which by the sound of it Leo's isn't) and can actually do harm if started too soon. I would encourage you to take Leo to see a cardiologist, who would be able to give you a much clearer and more detailed picture of what is going on with Leo's heart - not criticising your vet, but cardiologists just have more sophisticated machines for tracking heart activity than you can get from a static x-ray. Oliver has only a grade 3 murmur and no symptoms, but to help Cavalier heart research earlier this year he had a 10-minute session on a doppler machine, which recorded all aspects of the heart's activity on a computer screen - I couldn't make head or tail of all these flashing coloured images, of course, but apparently it gave the cardiologist a lot of useful and interesting information! If you live in Hertfordshire, you'd probably be able to see one (a cardiologist, not necessarily a doppler machine!) at the Royal Veterinary College.

I think we have all been assuming, from your vet's statements, that Leo was far worse than he probably actually is, but if he's still only a 3-4, definitely worth investigating further.

:hug:
Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your very thought provoking response I really appreciate it. The vet showed me the x-ray. There was far too much white for my liking..... Im not an expert but Im a Nurse and I know enough to know there was pulmonary oedema.....and too much:(
We saw the vet again yesterday for a check up. He was very pleased with Leo and how he has responded to the meds :)
His resps are nearly normal again...and he has only coughed a couple of times since the frusemide kicked in.
The vet hospital that I go to has a cardiologist that attends every other week....Leo is booked In for a scan with her next Wednesday the vet said they will get a better idea of his heart and that the specialist may well tweek/change his meds around.
Ive read up about Vetmedin and will go armed with many questions. I wonder if the vet we saw interpreted the murmur right..I will be so happy if its not as bad as he thought.
Thank you all again......its so wonderful to have people to advise me and to listen to my ramblings...

Mel
 
It's really good that Leo is seeing the cardiologist, hope that goes well today. Yes it's now recommended not to start vetmedin until they are actually in CHF, something to discuss with the cardio.


Pam, I'm sorry about Jasper.: ( it's good that he is still enjoying life, perhaps sadly though time to think about what is important to him to enjoy a good quality of life, so that you are prepared for when you have to make the decision?
 
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