Need help - Info on CHF

[JuneBugs Momma]

My JB was diagnosed with a stage 3 heart mur mur in April of this year. No medications needed and vet did not seem concerned. I have now seen some early signs including rapid & shallow breathing and a cough once in a great while. I am taking him today to the vet. Maybe an xray in in order and then he might refer me to a cardiologist.

Any/all info anyone can give me who has experienced this in their dog(s) is appreciated. What to look for from this point forward, current treatments and meds, longevity after diagnosis, etc.

[Wylie's Mom]

Many at this stage will be prescribed a med like Enalapril - which can do wonders and work for years.

[JuneBugs Momma]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Many at this stage will be prescribed a med like Enalapril - which can do wonders and work for years.

Did you go to a cardiologist to get a diagnosis and then meds or did/is your regular vet solely treating him and prescribing the enalapril?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by JuneBugs Momma

Did you go to a cardiologist to get a diagnosis and then meds or did/is your regular vet solely treating him and prescribing the enalapril?

Oftentimes, murmurs can easily be managed by your regular vet. We didn't need to see a cardio.

[JuneBugs Momma]

Vet visit went well and JB was a good boy as always. I went in expecting the worst, but, was at ease after the vet did an xray and explained to me what is going on.

Xray showed he has a slightly enlarged heart due to the mur mur and it having to work twice as hard to perform it's duties. Oddly, there is NO signs of fluid in the lungs. I was confused as to then why his breathing has been more rapid and shallow and only coughs/chokes VERY seldom. Vet told me that his heart is enlarged vertically and not horizontally. This means that the heart is pushing upwards on his trachea making his breathing labored.

With that being said, we left with Vetmedin and Enalapril with no reason to be on any Lasix meds due to him not retaining any fluid (thank goodness). I caught this early enough that the meds should be able to do their work to slow down the load on the heart and allowing the heart to shrink. If this works then a diagnosis of CHF looks negative. This is a progressive disease and the meds only work for so long. If I would have waited until he was worse (lethargic, fainting, blue-greyish gums) then he would be in full CHF and his lifespan, even once treatment is started, would have been much less.

I see the vet in 2 weeks then have an appointment with a cardiologist also in 2 weeks. Not taking any chances and thank God for pet insurance!

[Britster]

Thanks for the update! I definitely think it's worth seeing a cardiologist. It really eased my mind with Jackson and there's really no more solid test than an echo to get a definitive answer. You're being a good dog mom. She is lucky to have you!

[JuneBugs Momma]

Originally Posted by Britster

Thanks for the update! I definitely think it's worth seeing a cardiologist. It really eased my mind with Jackson and there's really no more solid test than an echo to get a definitive answer. You're being a good dog mom. She is lucky to have you!

Thanks for the compliment and don't feel bad, for your not the only one that thought JB was a female..hence the opposite. I got him in the month of June so I thought the name appropriate.

I know in another thread I asked how you made out when you went to the cardiologist and all you gave me was a thumbs-up. Can you be more specific as to how things went? How was the echo? Did they put him on any meds, etc?

[Britster]

Originally Posted by JuneBugs Momma

Thanks for the compliment and don't feel bad, for your not the only one that thought JB was a female..hence the opposite. I got him in the month of June so I thought the name appropriate.

I know in another thread I asked how you made out when you went to the cardiologist and all you gave me was a thumbs-up. Can you be more specific as to how things went? How was the echo? Did they put him on any meds, etc?

Oh, I attached my thread to it, I thought you saw. Here is a link again:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...cardigram.html

And oopssss! I knew he was a boy, don't know what I was thinking.

Here's my post:

Jackson is 8 years old. He will be 9 in October (honestly, where does the time go?)

Back in late March, we went for his rabies vaccine and our vet thought she heard a heart murmur during the exam. Took me totally by surprise. Nobody had ever told me before so I assumed it was new or never heard before. He's still VERY active, hikes regularly, swims, etc.

Anyway, we went back to our vet for a re-listen a little over a month later. She didn't hear the heart murmur that time. When she adjusted her stethoscope she said she could MAYBE hear it very faintly but it wasn't jumping out at her. In other words if she wouldn't have heard it last time she likely wouldn't have heard it this time. It's difficult though because his little heart beats so fast because he so anxious and nervous at the vets.

We had just been discussing getting him a dental cleaning this year as he's in need of one. She said she would be comfortable putting him under for a dental because their procedures are already very safe and heart friendly. She did not think teeth were awful but there was a couple questionable areas on his teeth and she knows how prone Yorkies are to teeth issues.

Basically my options basically were:
- re-check every 6 months with her so she can listen. I don't really do anything different.

- they do offer ultrasounds including for the heart at their office now but they only come as scheduled and I would've had to drop him off because there's like a four hour window of time. It's cheaper at $350 and then they send images off to cardiologist for review.

- go to the cardiologist and it would be an appointment where I am with him the whole time and then we immediately leave after with immediate answers and results.



We opted for going to the cardiologist for an echo before he goes under anesthesia later for a dental. I was so worried about bringing him because I knew how stressed he was going to be. He hates vets in general but he does not like being pinned down or held down in any way. He doesn't even enjoy being held by me. I was so proud of him -- he was super scared but the 1/2 pill of Trazodone I had given him prior did help (he wasn't shaking as much as he usually does) and I got to sit at his head the whole time and talk to him and calm him. He stayed still for 15+ minutes so could get a good reading and I could see it on the screens too as she explained.

Anywho, maybe I did the extreme by paying $640 for an echo + cardio visit but he's my boy and I'd rather know as I was driving myself crazy any time I thought he was breathing different or making any kind of noise lol. I'd rather find the problem now before it potentially gets bad.

ONTO THE GOOD NEWS... he *does* have a murmur but it's nothing to be concerned about at this present time. He has the same anesthesia protocols as a healthy dog would they basically told me. But they still forward all the info to my regular vet.

Diagnosis:

- Mild increase in right and left ventricular outflow tract velocity
> innocent cause for soft heart murmur
- Trace tricuspid regurgitation
- Normal heart size and function

No cardiac medicine is recommended at this time.

Diet and Exercise - remain the same. Just watch out for vigorous activity on humid days.

At home monitoring:
Jackson is currently at low risk for clinical signs of heart disease. However, please monitor for signs of cough, respiratory difficulty, Exercise intolerance, weakness, or lethargy.

So overall I'd say I'm glad I went for peace of mind. I now know. I brought this little stinker into my life & he's brought so much joy into mine, I knew this was something that needed to be done. Also thankful for a wonderful vet who pays attention and is so great and trustworthy.

[JuneBugs Momma]

Originally Posted by Britster

Oh, I attached my thread to it, I thought you saw. Here is a link again:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...cardigram.html

And oopssss! I knew he was a boy, don't know what I was thinking.

Here's my post:

That's great news!