Chowmein's CHF Cough

No, it's not always kennel cough...This is a classic "CHF" cough. She used to look at me helplessly, as if she didn't understand what was happening to her. I kept Chowmein and Wonton in the Green Playroom by themselves, so they could have companionship, but have a commotion-free area to rest in. Her brother looked visibly concerned when she'd start coughing, but stayed right with her. At first the Furosemide helped, but ultimately it couldn't keep the fluid away. On her last night, he crawled into her bed beside her, leaving his own empty. After she died, he "reserved" a space in the bed for her, not permitting anyone else to sleep there. The first night, he tried howling to locate her, and was dismayed when she didn't respond...It was heart-breaking. They shared a very close bond. Please remember to provide proper dental care for your dogs....regular brushing, and cleanings at the vets, is imperative for small dogs especially. Chowmein's heart disease and overall condition was worsened by the condition that her previous owner allowed her teeth to be in, and led to her life being shorter than it had to be.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• dog
• dogs
• Chinese
• Crested
• Powderpuff
• Congestive
• Heart
• Failure
• Not
• Kennel
• Cough

[Rusty123H]

Sincere thanks for posting this. Now I have a video I can show our vet of what our King Charles has been doing recently; he was diagnosed with MVD last summer and we've been on the lookout for the night "coughing" indicative of CHF. This sound isn't "coughing" to me... I thought he's just been gagging a bit on hair in his throat because of licking his paws from allergies. He had an episode today and he couldn't catch his breath for a moment and actually collapsed (he recovered). -see next post

[VirtualDogHouse]

Rusty: Glad that Chowmein could be of help; She was a very compassionate dog! It's important to note that small breeds can also reverse-sneeze (sounds similar), and can cough/gag for other reasons. Best way to determine if she's having a fluid excess (which would cause coughing) is to get her to the vet and have him/her listen to her breath sounds, and take her BP. You might also want to consider an echo if you haven't all ready, or if it's been close to a year since his last. Best of luck!

[VirtualDogHouse]

Rusty: Glad that Chowmein could be of help; She was a very compassionate dog! It's important to note that small breeds can also reverse-sneeze (sounds similar), and can cough/gag for other reasons. Best way to determine if she's having a fluid excess (which would cause coughing) is to get her to the vet and have him/her listen to her breath sounds, and take her BP. You might also want to consider an echo if you haven't all ready, or if it's been close to a year since his last. Best of luck!

[VirtualDogHouse]

If the dog is on meds and they arent helping, your GF needs to either take him back to the vet, or to a new vet immediately. CHF is managable if treated aggressively, but if she's unable/unwilling to have the necessary testing (blood press checks, labs, ultrasound) and meds (dieuretic, blood press drugs, etc), all of which can be very costly, she needs to have the dog humanely euthanized. It won't improve on its own. Allowing him to suffer would be very cruel, and legally neglectful.

[CharliesTree]

....and the coughing stopped till now. Now I'm just putting cough syrup/shots in her all day long. Which are making her so doped up! She isn't sleeping well cause she cant stop the hacking. I just feel so bad for her. But yes, I'm going to see what I can do about a 2nd opinion. I know of a different place where I live where I can take her. Do I just take her in and tell them what the other vet has done...whats going on with her etc...?

[VirtualDogHouse]

of life. Most states have a vet school, so if you call that and ask for a referral to someone w/experience, that can be helpful. You can also ask the vet's office who performs echocardiograms, as it's usually a cardiologist, then look up his/her information and request a consultation. A vet who's properly managing CHF should be checking blood, blood pressure, an echo if you can afford it, and will administer diuretics, BP meds, recommend dietary changes, etc. Good luck!

[Rusty123H]

continued- Your video is an exact match of the "couple of short snorts and then gag" sound he does. It's a good memorial to Chowmein to help other pet owners with this video. Peace to her spirit.

[MarioLoco03]

my gf's dog is doing the EXACT same thing...he coughs like that then passes out and cries...its freaky. He takes meds but it doesnt seem to be helping

[van1976]

My dog Max is doing the same thing, very bad lately. He's a Dachshund. Heart murmur worsened over the years...he's 14 years. First cough started 7 months ago and now coughs all the time in the same manner as your dog. I've taken him to 4 different Vets, but it is what it is, I'm using Lasik sparingly, I'm hoping he makes it till spring...he's my "Pal". Max' is in my "Auld Lang Syne" video from New Years Eve

--Van PS. Max's dental could've been better, but Vet said it wasnt that bad.

[VirtualDogHouse]

Hi: I honestly don't know why a vet would be giving a dog cough medication for a CHF cough...I've never heard of such a thing. I would request a copy of her recent records from your current vet, and bring those along. It's important to make sure that the vet is experienced somewhat in cardiology. Although a major vet medical ctr may be more costly, going to a less-costly place is ultimately going to waste money by requiring repeat visits, and can drastically affect her lifespan and quality(next)