Has anyone had experience of a dog with heart problem? Our tiny little rescue Yorkie is about 11 - 13ys.?

Question

He had a very bad start in life & was very ill, underfed + physically & mentally abused when we got him 9 yrs ago. He has always looked pretty pathetic but is a real tough guy & has thrived with us. When we got him he already had heart murmer but after settling in with our other dogs he has always behaved like a puppy. He recently started coughing a lot & vet explained what can happen when heart valve stops working properly but with short course of medication the coughing stopped for a while. It is now back but we have heard that major treatment only prolongs the inevitable & the animal often suffers for longer with little benefit or quality of life. We will happily pay for treatment but do not want him to suffer, he has been such a happy loving little soul. I dont want him poked, prodded & distressed or filled full of medication with side effects if there is no cure. I would rather just keep him comfortable & let him go when the time is right. Can anyone with experience advise please

The coughing is distressing but he is eating, drinking & although he sleeps a lot he shows interest & joins in when the dogs bark at postman etc. He coughs more at night & in the mornings. He has odd coughing boughts in the day but its hard to tell if he is distressed by it or if its just annoying & tiresome like it is for us humans when we have a persistant cough.
Thank you all for your comments.

Bless & thankyou all for your kind words & support it is very comforting & reassuring. My other 3 dogs are girls, he snuggles up to them & they all mother him so he is never alone. He sleeps curled up with my husband at night but always comes to mum when he needs help or a reassuring cuddle. I can only hope he will be comfortable & stay with us a long time yet but I will know when to let him go. In the meantime using the advice gleaned on here we will be giving him all the help we can provide. Thankyou x

Answer 1

my pom. i had when growing up had heart trouble. he'd be fine one minute, laying on the ground shaking the next. we decide to let nature take it's course instead of making him go through all that too. he lived a few years b/f he finally passed away. i think you are making the right choice and may god bless you for taking him into your life & for thinking of him first in this matter. :)

Answer 2

So sorry to hear about your pups problems. It's heartbreaking when we can't fix them and have to face the inevitable. Of course your dog has led a long life but not extraordinarily long as some small dogs do.

I had a Chihuahua that was diagnosed with an enlarged heart from a malfunctioning Mitral valve. The med's took care of the coughing for a while and then we would have to up the dose. He only lasted 2 years. In the course of my anguish over my babies disease, I looked into heart surgery for dogs. I would have paid any amount to save my dogs life especially since he was only 6. The Texas A&M University performs these miracle surgeries on dogs and at the time (4yrs ago) the cost was 7-10,000$. I gave the info to my vet and requested he call them to discuss my dogs prognosis. Unfortunately my dog was not a candidate at the time and he passed away.

I found the surgery info on-line. What the heck, it's worth a shot and the price may have come down since then as well as an improvement in technology. Whatever you decide, I hope the 2 of you enjoy every moment you have together. None of us live forever and life is so short.

Answer 3

Sadly, this is one of the things that comes with age. We had to make the heartbreaking decision last year to have our fourteen year old German Pointer, Murphy, put to sleep. He had had a heart murmer for several years, but obviously, the older he got, the more of a problem it became. We just tried to make his life as comfortable, and stress free as possible. We stopped taking him for walks, just let him into the garden for toilet. Sleep, as they say is one of the best medicines, and while, he was sleeping, we knew he was comfortable, and at rest. We made sure he had the best food....feeding him fresh meat, i.e., chicken, liver, minced beef, kidneys, and fresh fish too. We just knew one morning, when he just could'nt stand up by himself, that his time had come, and we didn't want him to suffer. Though it was hard at the time, we knew we had made the right decision. He had had a wonderful life, travelling all over the country with us, enjoying lots of holidays, and many exciting walks, and his last days were comfortable and peaceful for him.And, in a word, thats all you can do; keep him comfortable, quiet, and peaceful, and let him sleep. Just give him all the love you can......it will be hard, but you, yourself will know when the time has come. You will be safe in the knowledge that you gave your dog a second chance in life, and made it so much better for him. I'll be thinking of you and your little dog. Have a look on the web for a poem called; "If It Should Be" , its very sad, but very appropriate...I think you'll understand. Take care.

Answer 4

I have had several dogs with heart problems.You have to keep giving him the medicine.Most dogs do quite well on medication.Also,you might want to consider supplements.Fish oil and CoQ 10 with L- Carnitine are very good.I would,for a dog of that size, give 1000 mgs. of salmon oil once a day,and 10mg. CoQ 10 with L-carnitine twice a day.You can get both of these at Wal Mart,I buy Rexall brand.A good diet and gentle exercise( short walks) are good,too,and don't let the dog get fat.My friend adopted a little Chihuahua that had been used as a breeder in a puppy mill,and she had a very bad heart.She had bad teeth,so they were cleaned and she was put on antibiotics and heart medication.You should see her! She rules the roost at his house,and her heart has stabilized.Just give him his meds and try the supplements,and he may surprise you! My little Chihuahua and my Beagle both lived for over 2 years after being diagnosed,and they were happy.Good luck with you little friend.

Answer 5

Yes my dog Rupert, a King Charles Cavalier, has had a heart problem for about five years now. He gets heart tabs from the vet. He is okay and now 12 years old, which is pretty much about the end of days for this particular breed of dog. He is tough and tugs the lead when out walking, so I guess he will go on for a while longer yet.

Answer 6

One of our little dogs years ago, a Japanese Chin had a really serious heart problem, she would litteraly collapse and stop breathing and my wife was forever giving her the kiss of life to bring her round, when she came round she was fine as if nothing had happened, if you know your dog is not in pain the do not have him put to sleep, you will soon know if he is in pain, the most heartbreaking experience in my life is having to have a dog put to sleep and only when there is no hope and when dog is suffering should you do it, let him live his life with you, not a lot of treatment you can give but try and get some heart tablets off the Vet.

Answer 7

READ THIS PLZ! jst to be on the safe side! i had a jack russel and he was the best dog ever! his vet said he had a hole in his heart quite a few years back now, but he said he will be fine but when he starts to cough he is gona be on his way out!:( wel recently while my mum was on holiday he started to cough and it sound like something is stuck in his throat it was horrible then a few weeks later he passed away and i was devastaded man! but he had never coughed before and as soon as he did then we new! he lived up until nearly 13 which is quite good with a dog with a hole in his heart! so make sure u take him to a vet!xx

Answer 8

Nothing you or the vets can do to heal him. They can only slow the problem down. My dog is on Fortekor to reduce his blood pressure and frusemide as a diuretic.

He coughs during the day occasionally but we both have a hack on a morning. Its the fluid on the lungs that does it. Mine is 8 but he is a Cav. Love him to bits so I know where you are coming from.

Answer 9

I suggest you get him to a cardiologistTesting for heart problems is expensive but quick and easy for the dog.He will need to take meds for the rest of his life but they will having him feeling better and side effects are few.The above mentioned supplements are also a good idea.Get a good quality food,check it is lower in sodium(some of them are not) and keep him on the lean side.It is a personnal decision but you'd be surprised how well alot of dogs do with heart disease.

Answer 10

A few years ago my 10 year old male chihuahua was diagnosed with heart failure. Since he was an older dog, we simply took him home and gave him love, attention and his favorite foods. He was gone in just a matter of days, but at least we had a chance to say goodbye.