Thank you, SeaDragonTatoo and everyone else who recommended pushing for the xrays. Blood work came back normal and heart sounded normal, so they didn’t want to do them…until I agreed to pay. The chest xray showed an “enlarged rounded heart” and 'scalloped lungs". He couldn’t get a good view of the abdomen because she is backed up with feces (probably because she hasn’t been for walks since she’s too lethargic).
The vet said he couldn’t make a definitive diagnosis on xray since it only shows 2 view, so we have an appt with the specialty clinic tomorrow where she will get an echo so they can see the chambers. But I’m just reading thru the stack of paperwork they gave me to give to the cardiologist tmrw and it says “possible DCM”. I googled that and it stands for Dilated Cardiomyopathy. I hope it is not that as the prognosis seems very grim.
If vets are anything like people doctors, I wouldn’t read too much into that. They’ve got to put something down on the forms. Sometimes they put down something they’re pretty sure it’s *not *that’s easy to diagnose. If your dog’s case looks like Dilated Cardiomyopathy but the doctor thinks it’s not likely and an echo can rule it out, then he can concentrate on an alternate diagnoses which might be harder to make.
I’m not sure any of that made sense, I’m sorry. Basically, try not to worry too much about Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The doctor may just be trying to rule it out, and not really think that’s what it is.
This actually made me feel better-thanks. And I also laughed at the lupus joke. Thankfully my appt is at 10 am, so at least I won’t have to wait until afternoon. Fingers crossed.
That’s really cool you’re able to get a specialty appointment soon, and the cardiologist will be able to give you a definitive diagnosis with a treatment plan if the problem really is all in the heart. I wouldn’t get too worried about it yet, it may be treatable for some years! I know a couple of cardiologists, and they’re really good at what they do - if you’re seeing a board-certified (most likely at a specialty center), you’ll be in good hands.
Best wishes, and crossed fingers for something not so bad…
I just skimmed the thread, and as soon as you pointed with “coughing and wheezing” in an older dog… Well, my first thought was (unfortunately) heart disease, as that is one of the clinical signs.
But, there are many diseases that are not just DCM, and many of them (and even DCM) are treatable (as a chronic disease) and give you more time with your “puppydog” (mine is pushing to 8 and is still my puppy, dammit!). Please don’t fret out about any disease until you have a final diagnosis.
I’m not a vet, but some of these symptoms sound similar to the ones that brought us to the vet last year, and my dog has been diagnosed with cushing’s disease. Especially the wobbly legs and sometimes accidents. The testing involves going back and forth to the vet a few times over the course of a day, but otherwise I don’t remember it being too expensive.
I probably shouldn’t be trying to take an internet crash course on canine cardiology, but I can’t help myself and now I don’t know what to think. Based on my reading, I’m guessing that the vet suspected DCM because of the sudden onset of symptoms. It also says in the report that the right atrium is enlarged and she has retracted lung margins. All consistent (according to my frantic internet research ) with DCM.
HOWEVER, when we returned from the vet and got home, she had a burst of energy and seed like her old self for a while–running around, smiling, being gregarious. Then an hour or so ago, my husband asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. The past few days, she seemed luke warm to the idea of a walk (is usually ecstatic at the prospect) but started coughing/wheezing within a few blocks and they came back home. Tonight she managed a 45 minute walk and didn’t cough the entire time. He said she was not as energetic as usual (didn’t run up to greet other dogs, etc) but generally tolerated the walk fine. She does seems a little exhausted right now though.
I can’t seem to find any info to gauge whether these phases of normalcy are consistent with DCM or not.
The other thing is that I can’t believe how hard this is hitting me. I have never considered her to be old—she’s acted like a puppy until just recently, so it’s never even occurred to me that the end was anywhere near for her. ANd believe it or not, the one I would be most worried about if she has something terminal is our cat. We have 2 cats, who don’t get along too well with each other, but both love the dog. Our reclusive cat (the other one is a total extraverted clown) is extremely bonded to Pippa (the dog). We got her as a kitten and Pippa has always mothered her. They sleep together, groom each other and every time the kitty comes into the room, she rushes over to Pippa to rub up against her.I can’t imagine what this kitty would do if Pippa was suddenly no longer around.
I know I’m obsessing a little and should just wait to see what the cardiologist says, but I can’t stop thinking about it. So unexpected.
So I just paid $740 for a cardiothoracic ultrasound to learn that my dog has NO evidence of heart disease (yay!). The cardiologist said that based on the symptoms and interpretation of the radiology studies from the referring vet, he was prepared to find advanced disease, but found nothing at all. Also no fluid in her lungs.
The bad news, he said, is that it is clear that something is wrong, but all he could say is that it wasn’t her heart. He has now referred me to an internal medicine specialist. Trouble is, this stuff is expensive…but I can’t afford not to do it, since she is clearly suffering.
If her bowels are so full that they can’t even get a good look at her abdomen, then they should probably address that regardless of her ultimate diagnosis. A possible intestinal obstruction could account for all her symptoms except wheezing - which could be more related to vomiting or nausea than problems breathing. If your specialist can’t see you for a while, ask your regular vet about enemas or laxatives.
And while you have your vet on the phone - give him polite hell about this “wellness” plan and how it’s not supposed to be a way to just funnel money into his pockets. He’s still obligated to treat patients even if it eats into his profit from the advance payments.
I’m very curious to find out what’s going on with your dog! Do keep us posted, I’m still keeping fingers crossed that it’s something treatable/manageable. You’re not alone in sudden unexpected expenses - three of my four cats ended up needing surgical procedures last year, all fairly major surgeries, to boot. Harrowing year, and expensive, even with my industry discounts!
Thx all. Can’t get in to the internist until friday, so I’ll keep you posted. Cardiologist did say that she had swollen lymph nodes but he wouldn’t speculate as to what that might indicate. Just stressed that her heart was healthy and her blood work showed “nothing remarkable”. The only minor abnormality he observed was elevated blood pressure (he described it as on the very high end of normal) but he said that could be attributed to the fact that she is in a strange environment and felt nervous. She was also panting a lot and coughing there, but he said those symptoms could have numerous causes.
He also asked about whether she had increased thirst. I wasn’t sure because we have an automatic water bowl (not to mention that the cats and dog are frequently caught drinking out of the toilet :eek:), so I haven’t really been monitoring…but since he made an issue of it, I shut off the auto-waterer and have been keeping the bathroom doors shut and she does seem to be drinking a lot of water. Hard to tell really, since I don’t have much basis for comparison, but she seems to be visiting her new water bowl pretty frequently.
And Merneith, yes I’m pretty irked about the “Wellness Plan”, esp since I’ve spent over $1000 in 2 days on diagnostic tests that were not covered. Won’t ever buy one of those again…
Interestingly, her bff–our 4 year old cat-- is sitting vigil by her side while she sleeps–keeps licking her face and grooming her. Hope we can find out what is wrong with her and fix it.
Yes, I do hope you took the opportunity to rub it in his face a little when the xrays came back positive. He should have offered to pay for them retroactively since they showed something was wrong. What a douche move.
Hope you’re getting to the bottom of the problem.
The problem with demanding Xrays is that if you don’t know WHAT to Xray, they aren’t very helpful. It sounds like so far nobody has localized a part of the body they think is responsible for your dog’s problems.
I’d ask which ever vet is next in line to perform a complete neurologic examination as well as rule out any back/rear leg pain. In my experience, small animal veterinarians rarely do neurologic exams on their patients. They see the animal on a table, and don’t look at how it moves.
You report that the extent of the neuro exam was:
Neurological: normal behavior & responses
For a dog with the history of tripping down stairs, it would have been nice to see evidence that they did a little more than observe that it acted normally to them.
Hopefully you don’t spend $400 for an internal medicine specialist to send you to a neurologist.
Heh, that’s exactly what my husband is expecting will happen.
I used to think you could just go to the vet, have them run your credit card and they would handle things. But now I feel like I have to do all the research myself. I’m betting the posters in this thread will diagnose my dog before the experts I’m paying.
Totally random point-but when I was in the vet cardiology office, there was a couple in the waiting room who’s dog was getting a pacemaker and another guy who’s cat was getting valvuloplasty and a stent. I should have asked, but would love to know what the bill for those procedures would be. Only in America…
Since this is your first dog, I’m going to just say …
The important thing is that she’s not suffering.
There’s no limit to how much you love your dog. That doesn’t mean there’s that there’s no practical limit to what you can spend on her. We all have a number. It’s different for each of us, and no matter what it is, we all wish it was more. It will never be enough.
Eventually, everyone of us who loves our pets has to say, “I can’t do any more - but I can make sure she’s not suffering.” There’s no shame in it. We all reach that point. And your dog, when that time comes, will show you how it’s done. There are no grudges. No fears. Just a love that will always be with you once the pain is gone for good.
Hopefully, this is not that time yet. I’m not saying this because I’m expecting the worst. Rather, this is part of why a pet’s love is precious. They are with us for such a short time but their love changes us forever.
Thank you for that, Merneith. She took a turn for the worse today and had a vomiting episode and stopped eating. I called the internist and they had me bring her in–they are keeping her overnight. I had to lift her into the car to get her to the vet (a few weeks ago she would enthusiastically jump in when I took her for a ride :().
I was telling my husband earlier that our dog is probably wondering why I am taking her all over town to have people poke and prod her when she is feeling so awful. For all she knows, I could just be torturing her for sadistic pleasure. But I agree that ending her suffering needs to be the priority. I feel like I can philosophize to the kids and they will accept it. Most worried about my cat, believe it or not, who is totally bonded to the dog. But it seems like she knows that something is wrong as she didn’t leave the dog’s side all day and has been walking around meowing ever since I left her at the vet.
But what are they doing for her? did they mention laxatives or an enema? Really push them for that. Enemas are nobody’s favorite job, but after your description of the x-ray I can’t believe that nobody has done it yet.
