I took him to the vet and she said at most he will live 3 months with medication. We started the meds and he is not getting any better. I live in Spain on a military base so I can not get another opinion on his health. What should I do? Oh, he is an 11 year old beagle.
2007-04-21 00:27:57 · 14 answers · asked by Becky P 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I am trying to make him as comfortable as possible and encouraging him to eat, but he seems miserable. The did not state the "grade" of the murmur but she did say that it is very, very bad.
2007-04-21 00:40:52 · update #1
I noticed a problem when he started loosing a lot of weight and getting lagthargic. He does not want to eat or anything.
2007-04-21 00:42:37 · update #2
Your dog has what is called congestive heart failure. The mumur is the sound that is heard when his mitral (most likely) valve does not close properly and leaks blood back up into the left atrium (blood is going backwards instead of forewards). The extra blood in the left atrium backs up into the pulmonary vessels (lungs) and leaks fluid into the air sacks, resulting in 'water in the lungs'. The heart muscle will eventually fail because it cannot pump enough blood to the rest of the body.
Your dog is probably on furosemide, enalapril and spirinolactone. These medications are exceptionally helpfull in manageing heart failure, but can occasionally cause side effects such as anorexia and nausea (do to electrolyte abnormalities, most likely). However, anorexia can also be caused by worsening of his condition.
my advice is to call your veterinarian, or bring your dog the him/her to talk over your concerns and so that your vet can look at him again and maybe change his therapy depending on what they see.
Mitral insufficiancy in beagles (and other dogs) can be caused by valvular degeneration (most likely in your dogs case) or can be congenital. Either way, there is not a thing you could have done to prevent it, so dont beat yourself up for not having noticed it earlier.
I am sorry for you and your dog
2007-04-21 00:56:15 · answer #1 · answered by finniganwood05 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Living With A Heart Murmur
2016-10-30 06:37:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's really hard to say, it depends on what grade the murmur is. I've had dogs live to a very old age with a heart murmur, but every case is different. You should give your vet a call and discuss this more thoroughly.
2007-04-21 00:43:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I recently lost my dog to a heart murmur. She was diagnosed with Stage II 1-1/2 years before she died.
I believe that additional stress may have hastened the process. I wanted to share the symptoms she experienced as it got worse…so you will know what is going on when it happens. At first she coughed a lot, becoming what sounded like a cat coughing up a hairball. She was very lethargic, but would go to the bathroom and climb stairs by herself (even if slowly) until she was reaching the end of her life. She had one seizure, which was really bad lasted a good hour, scared the daylights out of me. This was the first time the vet diagnosed her heart murmur as more serious. She had actually gained weight rather than lose it as the murmur became more severe. In the final weeks, she could not control her bladder. In the final days, she lost control of her legs and could not even walk. We could tell she was in a lot of pain. She was only 10 when she died. We misunderstood many of the signs until the very end, which is why I wanted to share them with you.
Can anyone tell me how normal it is for a dog to die 16 months after being diagnosed with Stage II? This really bothers me. Thanks!
2013-11-24 00:46:04 · answer #4 · answered by Dona 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some dogs live very long lives with a heart murmur. Your dog has actually probably had this all his life. There are several grades. We worry more when it is severe and the dog is young. Really common in puppmill dogs. Keep up the meds and enjoy the rest of his life. He'll probably prove the vet wrong.
2007-04-21 00:43:54 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Base on 11 years old you vet must have found something going on with the heart murmur. One of my Shih Tzu's was born with a heart murmur and she is 14 years old and doing fine. You need to ask the vet in detail what she found with the murmur.
2007-04-21 00:39:25 · answer #6 · answered by china 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is hard to say, it really depends on the dogs health otherwise and what grade murmur it is, did the vet grade the murmur?
Vets aren't always right anyway, think positive for your dog and treasure every day with him / her.
If he is in pain then you will need to make a decision too!
I feel for you, it's hard when pets get older.
2007-04-21 00:35:34 · answer #7 · answered by redfroggirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends...how bad is the murmur (meaning how loud is it)?
Is this a new finding?
I am surprised they would give you such a definitive prognosis of 3 months. Is your dog showing signs of heart failure such as shortness of breah or retention of fluid? He probably needs to be on a diuretic and an ace inhibitor for his heart. Another concern is if your dog is having syncopal (fainting) episodes. If he is, they actually implant around 400 pacemakers/yr in dogs which may help.
Try checking the internet for other suggestions. Good luck-I know how important a dog can be in your life.
2007-04-21 00:45:11 · answer #8 · answered by Heather C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My mother's dog had a heart murmur and lived quite a few yrs after, as long as you look after your dog and get regular check ups your dog too should live a few yrs longer
2007-04-21 01:15:45 · answer #9 · answered by sandy m 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://biturl.im/aU7py
A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.
2016-06-01 03:47:25 · answer #10 · answered by yvette 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋