Preventing An Aneurysm?

[Yamaha_gurl]

Bella's racing owner just called me to inform me that Bella's half sister passed on Friday of an aneurysm, apperently another half sister and Bella's mother all died of one as well. Anyways, could this be a hereditary thing? Is there something that can be done to prevent one?

 

I don't know if this is related (I'm not a vet), but last month when Bella was at the vet getting blood word done (she wasn't drinking cause she was on pain meds for her neck, pain meds make her tummy hurt), the vet said she had very thick/slow moving blood.

 

Thoughts?

 

Here is her pedigree, her half sisters that passed are A Star Black Jet and A Star Black Nite:

 

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?z=x8R8Jn&d=A+Star+Blackieto

[macoduck]

Was it an abdominal aneurysm? Maybe an ultrasound scan periodically would give you some peace of mind.

[Charlies_Dad]

Baby aspirin. I would get your vet's okay on this but it may be a solution.

Edited July 16, 2012 by Charlies_Dad

[TheFullHouse]

If I'm not mistaken, thick slow moving blood can be caused by dehydration. If she was hydrated well, I'm wondering if aspirin therapy would prevent an aneurysm. Good question for the vets and vet techs on the board.

[tbhounds]

The "thick" blood was most likely due to the dehydration at the time.

I think theres a confusion--aneurysm and thrombosis (clot) are different. An aneurysm is a weakening of a vessel wall--- aspirin will in fact thin the blood but, I don't believe it will strengthen the vessel walls.

May want to ask your vet or a nutritionist about supplements like CoQ10.

[3DogNite]

There are several Essential Oils that have blood thinning properties.

Wintergreen

Clove

 

and other essential oils that help the heart

Aroma Life

 

Some specific Enzymes will work the blood - when given on an empty stomach

Neprinol AFD is the best one in my opinion -- $$ but worth it!

 

i sell a specific brand of oils - pm me if you are interested

[Guest Gillybear]

Blood thinners would not probably help prevent an aneurysm, but would result in more internal bleeding if an aneurysm does occur.

[PrairieProf]

No medical knowledge, but I'm sorry, I know how disturbing those deaths must be to hear about.

[Yamaha_gurl]

No medical knowledge, but I'm sorry, I know how disturbing those deaths must be to hear about.

 

The half sister that passed on Friday was about to have babies, they didn't make it...Bella's racing owner was almost in tears when she told me

[robinw]

I'm sorry, Maggie. I know how much you wanted to find Bella's siblings. I wish you found her sister under better circumstances

[JJNg]

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of anything that would prevent an aneurysm. As tbhounds stated, an aneurysm is a weak area in the blood vessel wall which bulges out, and can eventually rupture. It is the rupture and subsequent bleeding that can cause sudden death. Aneurysms are much more common in people than in dogs, and there's not even a lot of info about how to effectively prevent them in people. Although anything that causes high blood pressure can increase the risk of an aneurysm rupturing.

 

Especially in dogs, and with a familial history, the predisposition is likely genetic. Do you know which blood vessel was affected in Bella's relatives that succumbed to this disease? Short of doing advanced imaging studies (which may not even be available at most veterinary referral facilities) to try to identify an aneurysm before it ruptures, the most you can do is probably be aware of anything that might raise her blood pressure and try to avoid them if possible. Such as keeping acutely stressful events to a minimum, avoiding medications like Proin which might raise blood pressure, etc.

 

Sorry I don't have a better answer. It's nice of the racing owner to keep in contact with you and let you know about this, but I know it must be extremely worrisome.

[racindog]

Baby aspirin. I would get your vet's okay on this but it may be a solution.

If a dog can tolerate aspirin-and some do-it seems to be good for them. I adopted Aggie when she was 11 straight off the farm. They had been giving her an aspirin and a vit E daily (I don't know why) apparently for years and told me to be sure and continue it. Since she was the picture of health I did but I did switch to the low dose 81mg enteric coated tablet for my own peace of mind. Her new vet was OK with it. She stayed pretty healthy and did not cross over until she was 14 1/2 years old after reigning-and being the only hound so far to do it-for 2 consecutive years as the oldest hound and Queen of the Bluegrass Festival of the Greyhound..

Edited July 17, 2012 by racindog

[silverfish]

Blood thinners would not probably help prevent an aneurysm, but would result in more internal bleeding if an aneurysm does occur.

 

This is unfortunately true. It's a swings-and-roundabouts thing; aspirin may help to prevent dangerous clotting, but latest research suggests that it may also increase the risk of a stroke (of the type which is caused by bleeding, rather than clotting). So yeah, I'd think the same is true of an aneurism, although it may be academic because the rupture of an aneurism in a large vessel will kill you pretty quickly anyway.

[Yamaha_gurl]

Thank you for all the info everyone, I will probably send an email to OSU...as this might give them some info for their reseach. I'll also consult with Bella's vet and go from there.

[MP_the4pack]

Did you get her BP? That might be a good start. If it's high you'll want her on BP meds. If not, it'll probably be something you'll want to monitor through out her life.

[racindog]

I didn't realize till just now looking at ehr pedigree that she was a Gable Dodge kid! My arn't you lucky! My Minny was a Gable Dodge son and he too was very very special. Wigwam is special to me also because he was the granddad to Aggie(who didn't cross over till she was 14 1/2) & Minny both. Guess I should have suspected that a girl as good lookin' as Bella might have some Gable Dodge in her(and I'm mad at myself I didn't recognize those beautiful Dutch Bahama eyes too!).

Edited July 17, 2012 by racindog

[JohnF]

It was helpful that they informed you; hopefully the breeders will take note and not continue the direct lineage.

Lifestyle modifications are the only things you can offer to help make aneurysms less likely if the condition is herditary/familial. Actually I think it is nothing short of a miracle that any of us, dogs included, actually get to make it into old age.

 

The info in this link explains aneurysms in a canine context; you may like to bookmark it.

http://www.vetinfo.com/types-of-aneurysms-in-dogs.html