Dogster

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I got problems

Heart failure and the battle royale

I am a little tired so momma is goin' to write in mah diary today..here she is

2 years ago it was a left ventricle heart murmur...now we have been fighting for his life since April when he had a pleural effusion and bilateral heart failure stage 6. He is on an ungodly amount of feurosimide right now to battle a sudden edema issue. And was just changed from enalapril to Vetmedin. We have come so close to losing him and over and over he rallies. Such a little fighter.

2 months ago Keto started retaining fluid in his abdomen. I mean, crazy amounts of fluid. We honestly figure it was again that time. Because he didnt seem quit ready to give in, though, we took him and had him tapped. They removed well over a liter of fluid from my little 12 pound dogs abdomen He was miserable for a day or so but then was feeling better than he had in weeks.
(he is bandaged because he was leaking fluids)


Except the fluid came right back within two weeks. only now he was getting freaky edema in his rear legs. He looked like he had elephantitis or something.

But dangit.. I can't give up when he is still trying so hard.


Back to vet..his vet changed his heart med and put him on a crazy dosage of feurosimide. It took four days but we got the edema gone from his legs. And now his belly is ALSO going down!!


We are now starting to step the feurosimide back down because he cannot live forever on the dosage he is at. But..the good news is..Keto PLAYED yesterday!! And so far the edema in his legs is not returning.

I know we are on borrowed time..hell..we are on stolen time. His heart is still failing. But right now..my little man is still fighting. So so are we.

Troubles..a whole lotta troubles...

Mommy has been so busy with me and my sick sister Kya that we never have time to update our diary. So thot it would be a good time to tell ya what's been going on.

I had more seizure problems over the last two years and Mom had to put me on pills to help. I don't have seizures no more but now I got other problems. When I saw da doctor back in April 07 they said my heart was getting a little worse. but not so bad they wanted to do anything yet. But then I had more seizures in August 07 and my heart had got much worse by then. I had a stage 4 heart murmur they said. Mom took me for pictures of my heart and they found a shunt and da right side of my heart is not very strong. So they put me on MORE pills called Enalapril. Then in October I started coughing. Mommy took me BACK to the doctor and then they says I have Degenerative Heart Failure. Mommy was/is very upset. She cried alot. And they put me on MORE pills, these called lasix.

So now I is tired alot. If I try to play or anything sometimes it makes me cough and then I am tired all day. But I gets to lay around on the couch with lots of blankies and Mommy makes the other dogs leave me alone. Mommy even got me stairs to get on da bed and on da couch.

I still feel ok most of da time but I know Mommy worries alot.

ok..I gonna take a nap now.

A vet visit and a new diet

Well..a couple of weeks ago I had what Mommy called a seizure. Boy was it scary. Within two days I had another seizure. Mommy hurried me into the vet. (I HATE vets) The vet said I have liver problems, a new heart murmur, osteo arthritis, and also changed my medication for my thyroid...because of my liver..no meds for the Seizures..and no positive cause. But he put me on a diet. Man..that stinks cause Mom had already PUT me on a diet and this one is even worse, kinda. It's GOOD cause Mommy did a bunch of research and now I don't eat any dog food at all. I get to eat raw meat ..yummmmmmm....it's bad because if she catches anyone giving me anything except my special food she gets really mad.

It's funny..I don't really feel sick. But I guess Mommy and the vet know best. *sighs* Mommy says things about stupid back yard breeders. I guess they did not know enough about genetics to breed me. She says I am too young to have these kinda health problems. It makes me wonder how my brothers and sisters are. :( Mommy and Daddy act really worried about me. But I try to tell them I am ok.