Was this a seizure? Non-GSD

[LisaT]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

Well you are not the only one...but we also don't have a cardiac vet here in our area.
I know our regular vet did mention she rarely used vetmedin, and told us to go ahead and take her off it. I think Holly took it for maybe...10 days? But it was because she went into CHF (which was really unmistakable and in fact we gave her another dog's lasix until we could have her seen by the regular vet) we took her off it.
But also at that time her heart was normal sized.

A dog with CHF will have an enlarged heart????

I'm signing off for now, hope that she feels better soon!

[msvette2u]

Originally Posted by LisaT

I'm guessing that she was never in CHF at that point (I don't know about now though). I bet the vet heard a murmur, and from that, started the vetmedin.

No, she didn't, she told me she felt Holly had high blood pressure! I was like...wtf? That vet told me she heard no murmur. I asked for Holly's records to be sent to our regular vet, but they never showed up.

Our regular vet then even checked her BP and said it was fine (she'd been on vetmedin about 10 days then), but I am positive the vetmedin put her into CHF, even if mild, because she was showing those sx and when we gave her the lasix, she calmed down and quit panting so badly and being uncomfortable. My husband later looked up vetmedin in his drug manual and told me it should only be given along with lasix.

[msvette2u]

Originally Posted by LisaT

A dog with CHF will have an enlarged heart????

I'm signing off for now, hope that she feels better soon!

Well...here's the thing. We didn't do an x-ray today, and our vet felt that, with the fainting episode, enalapril was indicated. We're just hoping for the best with her, and no more fainting.
We aren't really patching her up for a long haul, just trying to make her more comfortable for hopefully another month. Her level of neglect before she came here in late October was such that we didn't think she'd be here this long.
And she's still fraught with issues so not sure how much longer she has.

The enalapril prescription today was just to see if she improved and had no more fainting episodes.

**I also think vetmedin can fling a person or dog into acute CHF without enlarging the heart, because it's making the heart beat "more efficiently" and cause some back up of fluids into the lung. I'd have to have my husband look @ his drug handbook again.

[LisaT]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

No, she didn't, she told me she felt Holly had high blood pressure! I was like...wtf? That vet told me she heard no murmur. .

AAARGH!!!!!!!! This is so wrong, to be messing with these drugs, without proper knowledge and diagnostics.....poor girl!

Originally Posted by msvette2u

Well...here's the thing. We didn't do an x-ray today, and our vet felt that, with the fainting episode, enalapril was indicated. We're just hoping for the best with her, and no more fainting.

No, I absolutely agree with the enalapril, from my experiences here. (I was questioning the use of vetmedin in a dog with a normal sized heart.) I am questioning the lasix though, not sure if there is an indication for that from anything you've said yet.

Okay, I really am outta here now

[vicky2200]

It could have been a small seizure or a stroke. Dakota usually has grand mals but has had one petite. A seizure can present itself in many ways so it is hard to say for sure. Contact your vet and have your dog seen.

[msvette2u]

Vicky, did you read the rest of the thread?

[msvette2u]

For those who were wondering about Holly Bear, she saw a new doctor on Wednesday, and was dx'ed with a grade 3-5/5 heart murmur. Apparently it changes some but goes from a 3 to a 5 (5 being the worst).
He seconded the enalapril prescription with lasix. I was hoping for better news, but basically he said keep her on this med and "keep her comfortable", her time is thought to be fairly limited.
She had a pretty bad bout of colitis a few weeks ago and is taking a very low dose of tylan for that but trying to wean her off of it.
I have her on Merrick canned, and I mash up whatever larger pieces are there.
Since the colitis has healed and she's on the Merrick, she's not had issues with her appetite.

She got a custom made collar from Collar Mania Custom Dog Collars - Home I love Lisa's work and she's so talented.


And, this is how Holly spends a lot of her day, which is just fine by me.

[LisaT]

That's weird that it changes! I know that the direction of the blood flow can make some murmurs sound better or worse than they are, so if this was just a "listen" appointment, then there is a little fuzziness to the prognosis I would think.

If she is doing well with the Tylan, and starts doing worse without it, I would consider just keeping her on it as a quality of life issue.

I am glad that she is being well-cared for, and has a new spiffy collar!

[msvette2u]

Thank you - yeah, the 1st vet dx'ed a 5/5, and this one said "3 to a 5/5". Poor girl.
Also thank you for the advice about the tylan. I was worried to give it. But she does feel better when on it.

I have been using it just in the AMs (instead of 2x a day), and so far so good but if she relapses at all we'll give it to her 2x a day again.

I've been wondering...if she passes away from her heart, how will it be? Will it be CHF? Because I'd euthanize her before she dies that way.
But...I keep wondering if she will die in her sleep...I just don't know. I've never had a dog die with me (except a few very sick puppies who came in almost gone anyway). I mean, we had the vet put them to sleep at the end of their lives.

We're way the heck and gone out in the country and very limited resources in the way of vets or I'd find a hospice vet like blehmannwa did.

[msvette2u]

We had to let Holly go this afternoon.
She was declining and couldn't hold down food.
Instead of being all invasive (with her severe heart murmur - we could hear it clicking) we just let her go peacefully.

Happier days.


Today before heading to the vet.


She went very peacefully. I held her very tightly while she drifted off.

Her stuff. I don't want to put it away.


Rest in peace, pretty girl. You earned it.