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I'll try to keep this short as possible ... looking for opinions.
Boston Terrier ... 8.5 years old
She is like a child to me and my wife
Diagnosed with a huge heart murmur as a puppy
Most active dog I've known
No real medical issues until 2 months ago
Fluid build-up started in the abdomen, due to heart issues, had her put on medication
Was "fine" for 2 months, although fluid build-up never went away ... it was only managed
I'm told the fluid, when lots is present, impedes ability to breathe ... can be painful and cause lots of pressure
During this process dog was completely normal, never lost appetite, still demands to play, no signs of pain, etc.
Fast forward to this Sunday ...
Build up got worse
Fluid moved to hind legs
Breathing was really labored ... I could tell she was in pain
Trouble walking
Took her to vet, tests were ran
Everything "normal", other than confirmation of congestive heart failure
Abdomen was drained (TWO liters), meds were increased
Doc stated that this amount of fluid is VERY uncomfortable for a dog. With how bad her heart is, doc stated we may want to start conversations of putting her down in the near future. Also told me she is really only comfortable draining fluid like this about two times.
But I wanted to see how my pup responded to the drain ...
She was like new. Running, jumping, eating like a horse ... overall very happy. I can tell that even on the new regimen of pills the fluid is slowly starting to come back, but nothing major as of today. I've read that these "drains" can be performed as often as every two weeks, even though the vet we are seeing says otherwise.
My question for you:
If you have a dog, who is very happy and not experiencing much pain (unless belly is completely full of fluid), would you continue to do the fluid drains if it resulted in 1-2 weeks of happiness at a time?
Or does the temporary discomfort when her belly is full warrant the consideration of putting her down??
If this was a constant pain, no question I'd put her down. But her normal behavior when the fluid is not there makes me think the procedure is worth doing.
As of today, my thought is that if my dog can go 1-2 weeks without needing a drain, then this is semi-managable. Of course if the fluid starts returning more rapidly then we have a problem.
Thoughts? I'm torn up on this. I'll stop rambling.
How can I talk about putting a dog down when they are running around the house normal as can be the majority of the time?
And for clarification, I realize that if the full fluid accumulation returns in less than a week, that these drains are not sustainable. This is only on option if the meds can fight off the need for a drain for at least 1-2 weeks at a time.
Boston Terrier ... 8.5 years old
She is like a child to me and my wife
Diagnosed with a huge heart murmur as a puppy
Most active dog I've known
No real medical issues until 2 months ago
Fluid build-up started in the abdomen, due to heart issues, had her put on medication
Was "fine" for 2 months, although fluid build-up never went away ... it was only managed
I'm told the fluid, when lots is present, impedes ability to breathe ... can be painful and cause lots of pressure
During this process dog was completely normal, never lost appetite, still demands to play, no signs of pain, etc.
Fast forward to this Sunday ...
Build up got worse
Fluid moved to hind legs
Breathing was really labored ... I could tell she was in pain
Trouble walking
Took her to vet, tests were ran
Everything "normal", other than confirmation of congestive heart failure
Abdomen was drained (TWO liters), meds were increased
Doc stated that this amount of fluid is VERY uncomfortable for a dog. With how bad her heart is, doc stated we may want to start conversations of putting her down in the near future. Also told me she is really only comfortable draining fluid like this about two times.
But I wanted to see how my pup responded to the drain ...
She was like new. Running, jumping, eating like a horse ... overall very happy. I can tell that even on the new regimen of pills the fluid is slowly starting to come back, but nothing major as of today. I've read that these "drains" can be performed as often as every two weeks, even though the vet we are seeing says otherwise.
My question for you:
If you have a dog, who is very happy and not experiencing much pain (unless belly is completely full of fluid), would you continue to do the fluid drains if it resulted in 1-2 weeks of happiness at a time?
Or does the temporary discomfort when her belly is full warrant the consideration of putting her down??
If this was a constant pain, no question I'd put her down. But her normal behavior when the fluid is not there makes me think the procedure is worth doing.
As of today, my thought is that if my dog can go 1-2 weeks without needing a drain, then this is semi-managable. Of course if the fluid starts returning more rapidly then we have a problem.
Thoughts? I'm torn up on this. I'll stop rambling.
How can I talk about putting a dog down when they are running around the house normal as can be the majority of the time?
And for clarification, I realize that if the full fluid accumulation returns in less than a week, that these drains are not sustainable. This is only on option if the meds can fight off the need for a drain for at least 1-2 weeks at a time.