congestive heart failure

[minousbijoux]

Yes, with a little herbed goat cheese.

Hah! Now you're talking like a well-trained housemate I am happy to hear that you're able to relax a bit now that Murry sounds as if he's on the mend.

 

[JewelFreak]

Now/still, he is walking around with it in his mouth, crying, a behavior I call, Have Your Cake and Eat It Too Syndrome.

Murry's acting like a dog! Good for him. Charlie walks around w/her treats or trophies from the wastebasket, crying & whining, till she finds a suitable place to bury it. Then un-buries it & starts all over again. She didn't come up with this behavior till about a year ago, when she was 8 yrs old. Maybe dawg-hood kicks in with maturity?

Wonderful to hear he's chowing down again!!

--- Laurie

 

[minousbijoux]

Its funny how we don't think twice about changing our behavior, but if our dog does, then we assume there is something wrong! I wonder if they worry about us in the same way if we suddenly start wearing nail polish or going out for walks, or taking a new class, or, or, or...

VL: please when you have a minute, would like an update on Mr. M. Did he get his goat cheese on the biscuit or on the side?

 

[VapidLapid]

Murry is so much better. He is entirely like his old self again. Maybe a little more affectionate; I think he knows he dodged a bullet. We say the vet today and he checked out ok. We are going to do these meds for a month and then check in again. Likely he will be on at least two of these for the rest of his life. Thanks for all the dust; It really helped!
The goat cheese was a one time only thing. I dont give him that every day.

 

[iLander]

YAY!

I'm inordinately pleased about his recovery. I think that's just wonderful!

I had to laugh at your puzzlement when Murry "buried" his treat. My Mookie does that all the time. If I give her a bunch of treats, and she's full, she'll bury them all over the house. Sometimes out in the open, with imaginary covering, sometimes in the bed, under my pillow, or some other disgusting place. Nothing like chicken in your bathrobe.

Great news!

 

[minousbijoux]

YAY!

Nothing like chicken in your bathrobe.

Great news!

I couldn't agree more both about the great news and about the chicken in the bathrobe.

 

[justginger]

I am extraordinarily pleased to hear about Murry's recovery!

 

[junebug17]

So glad the hear Murry is feeling better and doing well!!!

 

[kgizo]

VL, I'm so glad to hear he is doing better. If you aren't near a 24 hr vet hospital you may want to ask your vet how much you can increase doses if he takes a sudden turn. It seems like those things always start after the vet closes for the weekend. The meds have a great track record, but sometimes too much excitement or something else can trigger symptoms.

 

[minousbijoux]

I don't understand how one day a dog can suddenly have congestive heart failure - what causes it?

And isn't Murry out of the woods now that he's on meds and is so much better (please give me the answer I want to hear )

 

[VapidLapid]

congestive heart failure occurs when the heart is unable (for whatever reasons) to pump blood out to the body as fast as it is delivered to the heart from the lungs and liver. sometimes this can be from a leaky valve that leeks some blood backward, or high blood pressure that the heart has to work harder to push against. This only makes things worse because in repsonse the heart like any muscle will increase in size though the space the heart sits in wont get bigger. so the new muscle volume will have to take space from the chambers inside the heart, while also the muscle will be less flexible, resulting again in a decrease in pumping efficiency. the congestion then comes from a build up or backlog of blood in the lungs and liver. this causes fluid build up as well (edema) in the lungs and around the heart. This is one reason he is on a diuretic. if untreated the lungs fill with a pinkish foam. the liver then can be damaged from the blood backlog and then the kidneys too. So while he is now pretty stable he is not out of the woods. Meanwhile, the diuretic is making him pee astonishing quantities with disturbing frequency. He is always thirsty and drinks the bowl dry right after every walk. He is now needing to go out every two hours and each time he pees as much as he used to pee in an entire day. The two nights before last he wet the bed. Now I get up at 4 am to walk him. I am going to ask the Vet today if he can cut the dose in half, not only because of the excessive bounty of pee, but Murry seems a little depressed; changes not so much to his personality as to his demeanor, his enjoyment.
I mean, just look at him,

 

[Enerchi]

WHAT a cutie!!! Love that face!!! Oh VL - Murry is a STAR!!

I'm sorry he's going thru this - it is hard on his little body and hard on yours too, to be getting up at night, walking him to keep up with the urine... I hope he'll be able to reduce the dosage and give you both some relief.

Hang in there Murry! (and VL too!)

 

[JewelFreak]

Aww, Sweet Murry! I know from experience the worry is the worst part. Hope a med change helps him feel better, and you, VL. Just keep on lovin' each other!

--- Laurie

 

[minousbijoux]

So in all seriousness, VL, what do you see in that picture? Apart from a dog sticking his tongue out at the photographer, I see a questioning look on his face and the fact that he is lying there and has not lifted up his head, although he clearly seems interested. Is this different than his normal behavior?

 

[VapidLapid]

The Vet says to lower the dosage of Lasix and that I can just break them in half (they come pre-scored). This is good news since I had already done that this morning before I called. The good result is already apparent. In the above picture I see a critter bored with life, too jaded to get out of bed; why bother the day is half gone already. I see the poster pug for canine ennui. And in only half a day on the lower dose, I see this X-treme pug eager to jump, on skis, out of a helicopter onto virgin powder in the remote Rockies.

 

[missy]

Just seeing this now Vapid and I am so relieved to hear that dear Murry is doing better!! I am keeping him in my thoughts and prayers and sending healing vibes and PS ***dust*** to him for continued healthy and happy progress!! {{{Hugs}}} to you both!