|
Mitral Valve Disease Hi all, My name is Laura and I'm new to YorkieTalk. My 6 year old yorkie named Oliver just got diagnosed with degenerative mitral valve disease. Three weeks ago his heart sounded fine at the vet, and then two weeks ago she picked up a slight heart murmur. (He had been sick so I had him in for other reasons.) I got an ultrasound this week and it turns out that he had a rupture of the small chordae tendinae. I know I shouldn't, but I'm reading up about it online and now I'm freaked out! He only has a level 1 heart murmur and they're only monitoring him for now. In another 6 months, he'll have a 2nd ultrasound. What are other's experience with this? He's so young...does he still have the chance to live a long life? Is there anything I can be doing to keep him healthy longer? Any advice or experience would be a huge help right now. He's my boy and I'm sick with worry. Thank you in advance. Laura |
I had a little girl that had the very same diagnosis at age 8 years old. We started her on Lasix and Vasotec because she was symptomatic ....rapid heart rate and rapid respiratory rate with congestion .....she responded well to the treatment, and she lived for another 8 years, with an excellent quality of life. She moved slowed the last 3-4 years due to age and arthritis in her hip, but she had no problems catching her breath or retaining fluid or congestive heart failure. Good luck with your treatment protocol...are you seeing a cardiac specialist? I would see a cardiac specialist....and I would not wait 6 months for a follow up ultrasound.....maybe 3 months......I am a huge proponent of preventative medicine.....I want to catch things before things starts to cause problems....."crisis prevention as opposed to crisis management" was our motto in our surgical cardiovascular ICU!! |
Thanks so much for writing back. It gives me so much hope to know that your little girl lived another 8 years after diagnosis. Hopefully, Oliver can make it that long, too! We are seeing a cardiologist and I changed his next ultrasound to 3 months rather than 6. I appreciate the advice. I've also gotten him some supplements suggested by others and I'll go over them with my vet on Tursday. I want to keep his heart as strong as I can moving forward. Every night now, I monitor his breaths per minute and record it on an app. Like you said, I want to be able to catch something before it happens and be as informed as I can in all that I do. Thanks again for your help! |
Excellent job!! You are aware of the problem your baby has....the very best you can do for him is be educated, informed, "bloody, bold, and resolute" in his care! You sound to me like you are firmly planted on the right path! If you do the very best you can do, as far as knowledge, and care and treatment, and vet selection, the rest is up to God....and you can know in your heart and soul that you did the very best you could do! Keep us posted with your baby's progress.....interested in what the cardiologist has to say after seeing him.....it was not a death sentence for my Aija.....with treatment, she lived a long and good life, with just a little adjustment is her activity level....which she would have had eventually as she got older and older and as my momma used to say, "Arthur came to visit" in her little hips, so she got a hitch in her git-a-long....". Praying you have as blessed a future with your little man as I had with my matriarch, Aija.... |
My dog was diagnosed with mitral valve disease at around age 5. He was fine until this Febrary when his murmur was up to a III-IV and they decided to put him on some medication (benazepril) in a tiny dose (he is 10 lbs and takes 1.25mg once a day. He now has moderate heart enlargement and severe chamber (atrial) enlargement. He's now banned from anesthesia because it could throw him into congestive heart failure. He is going to be 15 in August. His heart disease does not appear to bother him as much as it does me. I hope with good care your baby will live as long as Barney! |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:22 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use