Cardiomyopathy

[Deb2250]

Our 13 year old lab was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy today. She has some fluid in her stomach and lungs. He prescribed furosimide and enalapril. He also said he thinks she may have just a month or two left to live. It 's very hard to hear this news and of course we feel guilty, like there was something we should have done to prevent this. We know that 13 is a good long life for a lab but it is still hard to actually hear from the vet that the end may be near.
To all the "experts" out there.....does it sound like we are doing all we can to help her? She still likes to act like a puppy with her daughter and her 2 grandaughters, but we have kept them separate most of the time for the last 9 months to reduce her stress. (The grandaughters are still very much puppies!)
I know we can't stop the disease but we want to make her as comfortable as possible.
Thanks!

[JMM]

The most accurate answer would be given by seeing a cardiologist for an echocardiogram. I hope she stays comfortable for a while yet. Depending on the cause of her enlarged heart, different medications could be helpful to her...

[Traci]

Agree with JMM, if you haven't already, ask your vet for a referral to a canine cardiologist right away for a heart workup including ECG. There are many medications available for treating heart disease, but they are used based on the type of cardiomyopathy (i.e., dilated vs hypertrophic, associated congestive heart failure, controlling pleural effusion, arrhythmias, any concurrent organ disfunction such as renal disease, hyperthyroidism, etc)

Don't delay in seeing a cardiologist, he can discuss medication options with you based on his findings, your dog's symptoms, progression of the condition. It would also be a good idea to ensure your vet is also an emergency facility in the event your dog may need aspiration of fluid, oxygen therapy in the event of a crisis.

[Deb2250]

The vet said that further tests could be done but the cost would be great and the life span would not be increased by much. My husband saw the xrays, her heart is huge, pressing on her trachea, which causes her to cough some and she does have fainting spells. I would say it is probably the congestive heart failure condition. She is 13, does have a hard time getting up and down because of arthritis, but she still has enough quality of life that the vet said we do not need to put her to sleep yet.

[Traci]

Ask your vet for a referral to the cardiologist he refers his complicated cases to. At the very least, you can ask for a consult, get a quote from the cardiologist for exam/ECG/etc. It's worth it to find out what your treatment options are, and a cardiologist is usually more up-to-date on recent treatment options.

I assume your vet tested for heartworm?

[JMM]

Actually some dogs do really well for quite a while even with CHF if they respond well to appropriate medications. A consult won't hurt anything but your pocket book.