Guest saltwaterron Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 took riley to the vet today. did not receive good news. she has developed a heart murmur. vet put her on vetmedin. apparently, her heart condition is getting worse. do not like what the future holds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytexplorer Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I lost DickCheney this morning. He had been on vetmedin, benazapril, lasix, carvedilol, spironolact and pepcid. He was 15 and had been on this pill regimen for the past 4 years. Vetmedin is a wonderful drug. Wish people could use it, too. If you'd like to talk, feel to message me and we can trade phone numbers and war stories. Be of good cheer, and fear not. {{{{hugs}}}} Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandimom Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Prayers that your pup lives a long good life. My 2 afghan's had heart murmurs and lived a long good life into old age and it was not the heart murmur that took them away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlies_Dad Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Sorry to read that Riley has a murmur. A diet low in salt is also recommended I believe and some pups can do very well on those meds with regular check-ups (every 6mths at most). There are a number of additional meds besides Vetmedin so hopefully you are only at the first stage and have plenty of time left. Our Jack was on 5 meds when he left us in suddenly in June however he did not just have a murmur, his heart was not beating correctly. Quote Kyle with Stewie ('Super C Ledoux, Super C Sampson x Sing It Blondie) and forever missing my three angels, Jack ('Roy Jack', Greys Flambeau x Miss Cobblepot) and Charlie ('CTR Midas Touch', Leo's Midas x Hallo Argentina) and Shelby ('Shari's Hooty', Flying Viper x Shari Carusi) running free across the bridge. Gus an coinnich sinn a'rithist my boys and little girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MP_the4pack Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 If your vet is a GP I would recommend visitng a cardiologist. Pearl was diagnosed with heart disease at age 6, Hypertension at age 7. Had a prognosis of 2-3 yrs. She died of cancer at age 12. She was on a plethura of drugs that she handled relatively well. Her appetite dropped a bit, but she still had a decent appetite. I did not watch her diet. I did not limit her exercise. I let her live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante2zoe Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Dante had a fairly significant heart murmur. I took him to the cardiologist for an echo. His murmur did not require medication but annual screening. However, I lost him to OS before his heart had any impact on his quality of life. Quote Cindy with Miss Fancypants, Paris Bueller, Zeke, and Angus Dante (Dg's Boyd), Zoe (In a While), Brady (Devilish Effect), Goose (BG Shotgun), Maverick (BG ShoMe), Maggie (All Trades Jax), Sherman (LNB Herman Bad) and Indy (BYB whippet) forever in my heart The flame that burns the brightest, burns the fastest and leaves the biggest shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saltwaterron Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 thanks for the comments and encouragement. riley is on lanoxin, enalapril and vetmedin. i hope she does well and will not need any more medications. i knew something was wrong yesterday when the vet examined her. she usually makes the comment that "her heart sounds fine" but not yesterday. she took a little longer listening to her heart and made no comment afterward. all this just kind of blindsided me. just didn't think i'd hear that. riley was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy 16 months ago. i knew that eventually i would get this news but found myself not ready to hear it. i will be thankful for the time i have had with her and the time left. pets are like family. when that time comes, i plan to bury her in the back yard under the sandbox i built for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytexplorer Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Please consider taking Riley to a heart specialist. S/he can look at the heart via sonogram/doppler, and take measurements. DickCheney had a bad valve that basically just flapped. It was probably a birth defect. The blood just backwashed thru the heart, which resulted in not very good oxygenated blood. His heart was also enlarged. He had congenital heart disease, so it was important for him to take Lasix, which is a diuretic, and not eat salty stuff like hotdogs, bacon, ham, etc. Also be aware that enalapril is processed through the kidneys, so long term use can (not always!) result in compromised kidneys. This happened to DC, so Dr S switched him to benazapril, which is processed through the liver. Dr S (heart vet) recommended that a complete blood panel be done every 6 months at the regular vet's office and fax results to her office for review. It's complicated, which is why my regular vet insisted that we consult with the heart vet. Feed Riley a good diet, and don't scrimp on treats! At least the less salty ones.....I bet you and Riley still have years to go. Bless you for taking such good, compassionate care of your gyrl! hugs, Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saltwaterron Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Please consider taking Riley to a heart specialist. S/he can look at the heart via sonogram/doppler, and take measurements. DickCheney had a bad valve that basically just flapped. It was probably a birth defect. The blood just backwashed thru the heart, which resulted in not very good oxygenated blood. His heart was also enlarged. He had congenital heart disease, so it was important for him to take Lasix, which is a diuretic, and not eat salty stuff like hotdogs, bacon, ham, etc. Also be aware that enalapril is processed through the kidneys, so long term use can (not always!) result in compromised kidneys. This happened to DC, so Dr S switched him to benazapril, which is processed through the liver. Dr S (heart vet) recommended that a complete blood panel be done every 6 months at the regular vet's office and fax results to her office for review. It's complicated, which is why my regular vet insisted that we consult with the heart vet. Feed Riley a good diet, and don't scrimp on treats! At least the less salty ones.....I bet you and Riley still have years to go. Bless you for taking such good, compassionate care of your gyrl! hugs, Pat thanks for the advice. riley had an ultrasound done in june 2011 which revealed the problem. i feed riley a top quality, no grain food and she loves her treats. she has never eaten table scraps. whatever time remains will be enjoyed. she makes me laugh when i toss a treat up in the air and when it lands she goes nuts pouncing on it like it's prey. great times with a great dog. i have a cousin who at one time had 5 greys and she told me riley would steal my heart. i had no idea how much i would love her. greys are so special..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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