Really worried about my little dog

[Jojo100]

Hi everyone I wasn’t sure which section to put this post so hope here is okay.

My little dog (Poppy) had an ultrasound today which has shown enlargement of her heart, a leaky valve and basically now has canine congestive heart failure. She has been put on two medications which hopefully will help her symptoms, but I’m really worried I’m going to lose her.

Does anyone else have a dog with similar symptoms and, if so, what has the outcome been?

Thank you Jojo

[Hanna3]

Hi Jojo!

I just saw your post. Gosh. I'm sorry to hear you've got all that worry with your beloved doggie. Our pets mean so much to us!

I wonder if you googled congestive cardiac failure in dogs if that would be any help or make you more anxious? Did the vet give you any indication of how your doggie might be on the medication?

How old is Poppy and what breed is she?

I'll try to look around on google but I know how frantic I get when little Sam is sick - he had surgery only recently but he's good now but it was scary when I had to leave him at the vets to be operated on. So I can imagine how worried you must be.

Can you keep us posted on how Poppy is over the next few days? I'd really like to hear from you how she is.

I think the treatments they have for heart problems are really good these days so let's hope that Poppy will feel better - she can't have been feeling well with heart issues and no medication to help so it's great you've had a vet looking after her.

Take care of yourself too my friend! I'll check back on you tomorrow and see if anyone has been able to help you with information and to check how Poppy is doing.

Hugs from one dog owner to another! 💕🐕🐾💟😔

[Hanna3]

Jojo I just had a very quick Google and I found a website Modern Dog and another called Cuteness and they said depending on age/severity the dog can live several years. Cuteness had some information about exercise, rest etc. It seemed a compact, helpful site.

Thinking of you my friend! Poppy might manage well on medication all going well! Don't panic yet! Give the meds time to work and she may have good quality of life for a long time yet! 💟👍🐾🐶

[Jojo100]

Dear Hanna

Thanks for your lovely post. Poppy is a chihuahua crossed with miniature fox terrier and in September she will be 12.

Her health has been so good up until now so it is quite a shock to get her diagnosis. I did google a few places and it made me fear the worst. However, I will check out the sites you mention.

The vet wants to see her again next week to assess if the medications are helping and to possibly do an X-ray. So will post again following that.

I am doing my best to remain positive, but know I would be lost without her as she has brought me through many tough times.

Thanks again for your kind reply and a big hug for Sam 🐾

Jojo

[keets97]

Hi Jojo100!

I am thinking of you and Poppy! Our pets really are our best friends🐾💗
I hope that everything goes okay with the medication and future appointments.

Please know that Poppy is in the best hands and the vets will do everything that they can to help Poppy get better 🙂

Please keep us updated on Poppy, I will be thinking of you both.

Sending you both hugs 🐾💗

[Jojo100]

Hi Keets

Thank you for your kind words of support. Poppy is my family and means the world to me. Do you have any pets?

I will keep you posted how things go with the vet next week.

Best wishes Jojo

[geoff]

Hello Jojo, there is so much love we have for our pets, we can only tell people how much we love them but they don't have the same feeling as the owner does, and we dread something awful happening to them, no matter what it is because to us they aren't just a pet, they're part of our family and we tend to look after them more than we look after ourselves and worry so much when the vet tells us something we certainly don't want to hear about.

We always forget that with us through thick and thin and their look just melts our heart.

I am really sorry to hear about Poppy and my thoughts are with you.

Geoff.

[Hanna3]

Geoff you're so right and especially for those of us who live alone our pets are our dearest companions. My Sam is like a shadow to me, wherever I have gone and whatever has happened, for ten years he has been faithfully by my side. I love him to bits!

So Jojo I understand how much you love little Poppy! One look from Sam's beautiful brown eyes and I melt, and I know you are the same with Poppy.

Dogs give us so much love! They forgive us when we're tired and cranky or when we make mistakes, they give us love and joy and laughter and they ask so little from us in return - food, a walk, a cuddle, a pat or a tummy rub! (Especially a tummy rub!) 🙂

Jojo, Poppy can't have been feeling too well with the heart problem - anything wrong with the heart usually makes us feel pretty rotten - so I hope she will start feeling much better when the medication kicks in, poor little girl!

There are heaps of websites about it but hopefully Miss Poppy will feel better soon and have some good years ahead of her. It sounds as if she'll need some extra rest and careful exercising but the sites I looked at seemed pretty positive!

Let us know how you go. Dogs are the best!

Hugs from me and little Sam 💖🐕🐾👍🙂💕

[Guest9337]

Hi Jojo100,

Another dog person here, we've had ten dogs over five decades, loved and still love everyone of them.

A bit of simple advice for less threatening google search is to google "treatments for" ____. rather than just looking for the ____ itself. That targets search towards fixing the problem rather than explaining in detail what the problem is.

A long term tip for dogs personality and training is to have a new dog, perhaps a puppy around as the older dog nears ending. The old dog passes on their knowledge and spirit into the new pup and continuity feels a little bit better that way I've found.

[Jojo100]

Hi Geoff

Thank you for your caring response. You have summed up perfectly what it means to have a pet. They are almost human and, in some cases, much nicer!

Will post again after she sees the vet next week.

Best wishes Jojo