I'm posting this because I hope other pet owners learn from my near mistake with this..
Harry is my 11+ year-old black Cocker Spaniel and I've had him since 5 months old. Let me give you a run down of what happened and the symptoms..
Early/Mid November, Harry started coughing a little. Not the typical, "Oh damn he ate something he shouldn't have and is gonna hurl" kinda cough.. It sounded more respiratory. It was happening a couple of times a day.. I kinda dismissed it and after a few days as it seemed to dissipate. So rather than a trip to the vet, he went for a long overdue grooming the day before Thanksgiving. I got home from school around 12:30 on Monday and he was consistently coughing for about an hour with only a few moments between bouts. I called the vet - Parker Animal Clinic in Plano. They were taking walk-ins from 2:30 to 5, so off we went. Since we weren't sure what we were dealing with, (thought it might be "Kennel Cough") they asked me to wait outside/in the car, til the doc was ready for him. Dr. B took him in at 4pm.. Temp ok, Lungs sounded clear.. For pretty much the ride up and the 90 minute wait, Harry didn't cough. Dr B gave us a pain pill and a cough medicine.. By Friday December 11th, the cough never subsided much and started to sound more moucousy, for lack of a better term. It was definitely a respiratory cough . I called them and told me to bring him in Saturday am as Dr B wasn't in.
Saturday December 12th - would have been my dad's 85th birthday.. Temp again is normal, but this time, Dr B CAN hear congestion in his lungs... Wants to do an x-ray as he now feels it's Congestive Heart Failure, so they take him in back and I go outside for a smoke.. My eyes were welling up.. Not gonna even try to put up a front on that. All I heard was "heart failure" and in my mind, I was putting him down that day.. On the phone with my better half and my sister in Maryland, I'm losing it.. I didn't want to put him down on dad's birthday but I didn't want to be selfish in keeping him around just for my emotional state..
Preparing myself - for what that's worth - for putting him down as soon as they take the x-ray. Twenty minutes later, Dr B comes outside with two bottles in his hand, puts his hand on my shoulder and says: "You're taking him home. He'll be ok with the meds. No guarantees but he may live out a few years with no discomfort."
Two prescriptions:
Enalaprin - one every 12 hours - for the heart, and Lasix - diuretic for the fluid build up in and around the lungs. He told me we'll have to play with the Lasix dosage because of his size. He's big for a Cocker at 31 pounds. He's not fat by any means. He's just larger in every dimension than most Cockers I see. 50mg tablets with the initial dosage at 1/2 a tab once a day. He would get about 8-10 hours, then start to cough again. After 4-5 days, I called them. "Increase it to 1/2 a tab twice a day." Still pretty much the same. 8-10 hours or if he exerts himself by say, walking UP the three flights to our apartment. Finally after a couple of weeks, we're comfortable with the 1/2 tab, every 8-10 hours.
His appetite fell a little but has settled pretty close to his usual. He does drink more water and urinate a bit more as well. He seems to be good.. With the timing of the Lasix, no coughing to really mention in the last 3-4 days. He still runs down the steps like an 11 MONTH old, but I carry him up just to be safe. He's throwing his tennis & golf balls around to entertain himself when he's bored lol..
I will keep a vigilant eye on him and if it starts to get bad even with the meds, I will do the right thing for him. He's been a companion, friend, counselor without even knowing he was and snuggle bud on a cold day. I can't be selfish when he's been so selfless to us.Never barks, never chews anything, loves kids and other animals.. He's always been a "Gentle Ben." After a hellacious year - 12 months of unemployment for me as of today, it's nice to not have to put down my best friend..
Here's some info on CHF.. Please readu up on it as some breeds of cats and dogs are more prone to it.
http://www.2ndchance.info/dogdilcardiomyopathy.htm
