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Advanced Heart Faliure :'(:'( My story

Aimee89

Member
Hi this my first post my 9 year old Cavalier Charlotte has CHF but at an advanced stage. She was found out to have a grade 3 heart mumur march last year but becuase she didnt have any problems she didnt have any medication. In January this year she fainted twice vomited blood couldnt breathe her gums were a greyish tinge we rushed her straight to vetsnow (11 at night) she was put in an oxygen tent and medication. Her heart was still a grade 3 and the coughing started she was put on frusemide 20mg 3x and vetmedin 5mg which she had been doing fine numourous vet visits sinse then her heart had downgraded to a 2 and frusemide got reduced to 2x daily in February and I thought that was good news untill beginning of April one night her lungs are full of fluid i gave her a diretic i didnt no what to do but it worked i took her back to the vets when my vet suggested an X ray and frusemide got upped back up to 3x daily heart had got to a grade 5 it was supposed to originally be under sedation but the surgion want her under GA as he could monitor her better then I got the devasting news her heart is so big it takes up most of her chest she has a lot of enlargement of the left side but he said its unusual but she has enlargment of the right side as well, her windpipes are lot higher than it should be and the breathing tube thingy in her lungs is thicker than what it should be he also told me not to give her a durutic before the xray in just one day her lungs were full of fluid again they gave her an Injection of duretic and as much as I didnt want to know how much longer she has left I wanted to know she has about 3 months left I broke down in front of my vet I was devastated. He put her on fortekar 10mg and tempora 50mg. Having just been made redundent (bad timing right) all her treatment and medication is coming out of my savings I was saving a deposit I was so close but money can be replaced charlotte cant. She seemed to have a new spring in her step and full of life till a couple nights ago she woke me at 4 in the morning with this awful coughing gagging wet sounding noise she was spaced out very very fast breathing lungs full of fluid it only took 8 hours for them to fill up again I gave her a duiretic and took her to the vets were she had her frusemide upped to 4x daily and fortekor to one and a half tablets a day she takes so many pills now so glad she just chews them out of my hand. Shes constintly coughing now she holds her breathe im seeing her deteriote soo rapidly im desperate to do somthibg for her but I no there isnt anything I can do apart from what im already doing its reaking my heart, Shes my best friend shes my baby im so scared of losing her im lost I live up north 200 miles away from my family and I keep thinking I cant do this on my one were constintly at the vets its like my second home. I got Charlotte when I was 15 for Christmas I originally wanted a trampoline but there wasnt any thats how I ended up with my baby. Shes the laziest greediest most kind hearted dog I no sometimes I think she misses my mum and dads dogs they have 5 now shes on her own. I relise now how much time is precious and live each day as though its your last I know I havnt got long left with my baby but I no im going to make each day count. im sorry for such a long post just really wanted to write it down.
 
My heart goes out to you Aimee. Charlotte sounds like an amazing Cav and I'm sure it hurts to see her suffer in any way. Try to enjoy every minute you have with her and know that there are many, many caring people on this forum that know what you are going though.

Joan
 
Im so sorry to read your post Aimee.
My Leo is is 8 this year was diagnosed in December with CHF. He is doing well on Cardalis, Frusemide and Vetmedin....its devastating to see but I decided to have quality not quantity with Leo and it will break my heart when the time comes, but I hope Im brave enough to do whats best for him....like you I love my little dog more than I can explain.
I hope Charlotte becomes more stable and this forum is a good place to come and rant.....
just wanted to say Im thinking of you.
Mel
 
So sorry you and Charlotte are going through this, Aimee. A lot of people on this forum will know what you are talking about - I have lost two of my Cavaliers to heart failure. So do feel free to say what you feel. I hope Charlotte will respond to the increased medication; Cavaliers seem to have a great capacity to enjoy life even when it is very limited by illness, and can make it very clear when they have had enough and need you to help them with the last loving act we can do for our dogs. In the meantime, enjoy the moments when the old Charlotte is back.

:hug:

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Hi Aimee, my pippin is 10 and has CHF but is doing ok on Vetmedin, Cardallis and Frusemide. I don't know how long we have with him. He is very greedy and would eat his way through the day if left, he is also always into mischief, he has slowed up a fair bit, sleeps an awful lot and can only manage a 10 minute walk every other day but he is still with us.

Just wanted to let you know you are not alone x
 
Thank you got making me feel welcome everyone. This is all completly new to me having never had a dog go thtough this before when I was 15 and picking a breed my parents said a small dog and Ifeel In live with the breed my Charlotte is a bleinham my mums 2 Alfie and Sydney are black and tan and a tri are both brothers and are 7 and both have perfect hearts at thr moment but I do worry about them. Im also thinking of Leo and pippin. Its an awful thing to happrn to our babies and wish the wernt stuck with this horrendous diseasr thats plagues us all. Leo was the name I had chosen for Charlotte if she was a boy :):)...
 
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