Lately Hubby and I have been disturbed by the increased frequency in our dog Sasha’s coughing and wheezing. We believe it is being brought on by her heart murmur. I’ve been doing some reading and it seems there may be drugs that can help her, so she’s going back to the vet (we recently took her there to get treatment for UTI).
An explanation of what a heart murmur is and how it contributes to the coughing, from VeterinaryPetcare.com:
The earliest sign of a leaking mitral valve is a heart murmur. This is produced when some of the blood goes backward through the leaking valve into the left atrium. Many dogs develop a murmur from the mitral valve as early as six years of age. This problem is especially common in small breeds of dogs. A heart murmur does not mean that heart failure is imminent. But as time goes on, the leak becomes more severe and more and more blood flows backwards. This results in reduced pumping efficiency and, eventually, congestive heart failure. From the time a murmur develops, it may be a few months to several years until heart failure occurs.
When the heart is not properly pumping blood, the blood moves more slowly through the lungs. This results in small amounts of fluid leaking out of the capillaries into the air passageways. This fluid collection produces the earliest signs of heart failure: gagging as if trying to clear the throat, a chronic, hacking cough, and lack of stamina.
There is another article on the Bay Area King Charles Cavalier Spaniel site which goes into controlling the condition with medication:
In Dr. Ross’s experience, the time to begin medication is when the resting heart rate is consistently more than 100 beats per minute. The normal canine resting heart rate is 80 to 100 beats per minute.
I timed Sassy’s heartbeat – it is 140+ beats per minute while she’s at rest. I don’t know if it’s possible anyway, but I think surgery would be too risky for her (there’s a good chance she wouldn’t wake up from the anaesthetic), so I hope there is some medication that can help.
Back from the vet and there is good news on the medication front. She’s been put onto a short course of Frudix to help reduce the fluid in her lungs (causing the coughing). She’ll also be taking Fortekor to help alleviate her heart condition – she’ll be on this one or similar for the rest of her life. The vet pointed out there was plenty of colour around her gums, indicating she is getting plenty of oxygen, so could be worse. A relief to be able to do something for her.
There is some more info on the management of mitral valve disease and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels on the Cavalier Health site.
Hi Liss, I’m glad the vet could do something for Sasha.
While she was on the Frudix it seemed to reduce her coughing A LOT. When she finished the course we noticed she was coughing again, perhaps not to the same frequency and extent before she started taking medication. She seems happy enough. Yesterday we took her for a drive with us to visit Tracy and her dog Carney. Sassy was in her element getting pats and treats. When we got home she was exhausted and flaked out on the bed in the lounge.
I’ve noticed what seems to be some deterioration in Sassy’s condition over the last few weeks, even though she is still on the medication. Frequency of coughing and wheezing has increased. I’ve heard her make the occasional little whimper as she is lying on the bed, so I wonder if she is in pain. I can’t say that she is any less active than normal, because she has never been an active dog. She hasn’t lost her appetite in general, although there was a day the other week when she didn’t want anything. Shall monitor her for a little while longer, then take her for a check up at the Vet.