Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Millie not interested in food

Hi Everyone, I needed to post this because I really am at my wits end with Millie's eating habits! Yesterday was the third day in a row that she has refused to eat ANY food (except a piece of ham). My husband bought BBQ chicken last night (and I don't like buying non-free range chicken!), but we were desperate. My vet said this is the food to tempt them, but she would not eat it. She simply turned her head. Ooh, I was angry! So I phoned the vet surgery and Millie and I did the customary 2 hour round trip to see her vet. Her PCV came back at 44, proteins normal, liver values normal, no suspected pancreatitis.... Temperature normal, physical exam showed no sign of any abdominal pain etc.... Millie is in perfect health, or that's what it seems anyway. Millie was not fussy before her IMHA diagnosis. She would ALWAYS eat her meals with no problem. I try everything possible in terms of food for her now. I cook, buy her the cr ap dog food with no nutritional value that she usually loved - but we still have frequent periods of non-interest in food where I can't tempt her with ANYTHING! Has anyone else experienced this with their dogs once they are off the Prednisone? I can't think how this could be related to her IMHA? Samantha.

Samantha Geelong

Samantha, Did your vet examine Millies throat and/or teeth? Maybe she has something there that occasionally flares up and causes her discomfort when she eats. Other than that I am clueless and I only know that because I had an older girl whos teeth occasionally gave her trouble. Good luck for her eating and if nothing else find another dog to feed her in front of...my three would act like the world was going to end if someone got a bite before they did. Nothing like some good old rivalry...lol I will keep you both in my prayers ...kelly

Kelly Redding

Hi samantha, Sorry to hear of your frustration...but relate....if you can't entice Millie with ANY food, maybe you could try the Nutri-Cal supplemental gel ( they lick it off a spoon ) to keep her blood sugar from dropping.....my lap/puppy Chrissy doesn't always want to eat, but she loves this stuff....I was told dogs can actually die from a prolonged low blood sugar attack.....of course ask your Vet first.....the Nutri-Cal would stimulate Chrissys appetite and at least prevent her from crashing completely....When Cody wouldn't eat we gave him steak...hamburger, etc....(but you've probably tried it all )......this disease stinks!!! Good luck for now, Tammy and Cody

Tammy/Cody N.J.

Hi Kelly and Tammy, Thanks for your responses. I forgot to mention that Millie gobbled down the chicken when we returned from the vet! Grrrr.... Kelly - my vet has said to me that Millie has a sensitive trachea. She said potentially it is 'collapsing'. She mentioned there could be some inflammation in her oesophagus (SP??) which is irritating Millie and she that's why she isn't eating, but she wasn't sure. Millie's teeth are in need of a clean (which I know, and am dreading putting Millie under anaesthesia to do this), but she said they wouldn't be giving her any problems. Tammy - I will look for this Nutri-Cal. Hopefully we have it in Australia. It is definitely worth a try. I am keeping a diary to track what she is eating, temperature (we are having warmer weather here at the moment), her bowel movements etc.... Maybe some kind of pattern will emerge.... Thanks again, Sam & Millie.

Samantha Geelong Australia

Samantha, is Millie off all the drugs now? This could be a very good reason for being fussy (not eating). Does she eat when she's hungry or does she go longer than a day without eating? I'm curious how the vets knows/thinks it's a sensitive trachea. Good idea to keep a diary. Try to pay good attention to when she eats next and try to notice if ANYTHING looks out of the norm...problems chewing, swallowing, etc. or when she goes potty. Is she drinking water? Did they check her stomach and GI track? This could be so many things. I'm at a loss at what to think. Hopefully others will have some good suggestions. Praying and hoping htat it is only Millie being Fussy. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Samantha, How terribly frustrating for you and your husband. I hope that it resolves itself soon. Could she possibly be doing it for attention? I know a lot of people think that dogs minds don't work that way but mine often behave like small children. You have gone through months of total devotion fighting the AIHA doing anything and everything for Millie. Now that things have calmed down maybe she feels she isn't the center of attention any longer? It is great to see her test results were great! Good luck Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Penny, Oh my goodness! Your statement about "attention" is so very true. Both Jacob and Rocky would act like " small children". Rocky would turn his head to certain food. Then I would give the same stuff to Jacob and once Rocky saw Jacob eat it, then he wanted it. Silly boys! They were like my kids and I would occasionally call them brats because that is what they acted like at times. So funny! Samantha, I sure hope things turn around for you with Millie. It can be so very frustrating when they refuse food that they once loved. You try to get them to eat just about anything but then you have to worry about upset tummies. Vicious cycle! Best wishes to you and your Sweet Millie! Teresa (and my Angel Boys Jacob and Rocky)

Teresa va

Penny the attention thing is great!! My mom had a poodle mix when I was growing up that would jump on my mom's bed and pee on it just about everytime she got in trouble. Like she was saying" Ha..in your face!!" A laugh everytime I think about it.

Kelly Redding

Samantha, Have you had a recent chem screen done? Could you look up the values BUN and creatinine and see if they are in the normal range? If one or both are above the normal range this may point to why she is refusing food. If her weight is normal right now, she can go a few days without eating. But watch her fluid intake carefully to monitor what she is actually taking in and putting out and write that down. Nausea is a frequent reason why dogs refuse to eat. Try giving a pepcid before a meal time and see if that helps any. Some tricks are using a bit of garlic powder, searing a piece of meat, bits of cream cheese, an egg cooked in real butter, a dribble of honey etc. Things that smell good and have fat are attractive. It's tempting to use salty foods like ham, but until you know what is going on, stick with just plain food that is dolled up to smell and taste good. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Hi Sam, Madison has always been a bad eater except when she was on the pred and she ate like she was a size of a horse... I did get a dog trainer in as Madison was also a real attention seeker with me and bosseed me around alot. After hand feeding her during her sickness she got worse and wanted more and more attention.. So the trainer told me i had to pretend to eat before i gave food to her, to make her realise its not always all about her (and i couldnt look at her but she had to see i was eating).. Then i would feed all my 3 dogs at the same time. If she walked away from it i was to take away her food and not give it to her again until the next meal time. Small dogs can go days without food.. After 3 days of this she realised that she needed to eat or she wouldnt get anything if she walked away... Now she eats properly every evening with the other dogs. I feed her cooked chicken & pasta and I dont make a fuss over her at meal time. I felt really bad at first but it did work - it wasnt about what i was feeding her but her getting attention from me. Before if she didnt eat i would fuss over her trying to get her to eat something, giving her treats, my food, thinking she was not feeling good.. but she was the smart one getting all this attention from me :o) Anyway not sure if this will help but it did for us. Sam & Madison

Samantha Perth

Hi Samantha Just to let you know that what Tammy might be talking about is called "Nutrigel" here - you can buy it at the vet. I found out about it when looking for supplements for Riley and then I saw that on their shelves, and the vet said it was like a human having a jelly bean. You can also get it on the www.aussiepet.com.au website. Good luck with Millie - I know she is the same breed as Riley, and he used to be such a fusspot before pred of course, it would drive me nuts, but if Millie never used to be fussy before? When you know what all those medications do to a doggie, and then they get better, it has to have some impact or change. Then again, it could be attention....all the best. :) Silka

Silka Melbourne Australia

Hi Everyone, Thanks so much for your kind responses - I really appreciate the feedback and ideas. Millie ate again last night, but she had the worst wind - it smelt terrible! I had to take her out of our bedroom and to the lounge to sleep, it was that continuously bad. It is still bad this morning. Johnny - Mill is only on 6.25mg Aza every third day. She has periods where she will totally refuse foods and go for 2-3 days without eating. Her stomach is growling like crazy, but she flatly refuses. Then all of a sudden, she's back to normal. I hadn't noticed her drinking water while she wasn't eating, so I had to put some in my palm and she lapped it off my hand as I was worried that she wasn't getting enough fluid.... Thursday night she started eating again when we got back from the vet, and drank quite a lot of water on her own.... However the vet had said she wasn't dehydrated, so she may have been drinking.... it's hard when I'm at work all day and don't know what she has been doing. When the vet examined Millie, she felt under Millie's chin, and Millie coughed. Millie does cough semi-frequently at home, which the vet believes is due to a 'collapsed trachea'. No they did not check her GI track or her stomach, but I should get them to do this. Penny/Sam - Attention seeking has definitely crossed my mind! Sam that is great advice, and I will try this as she is DEFINITELY fussy at times. I have probably made a rod for my own back in that if she doesn't eat what I give her, then I try something else and she eventually gets what she wants! I'm sure she knows how to manipulate me. But there are times like this week when she refuses EVERYTHING which is when I worry something else is going on. Teresa - Thank-you for your kind words, and the funny story about your angel boys! Patrice - Millie's last blood screen was done on Christmas Eve. Due to the holidays, I forgot to request my paper copy of these results. I will ask about these, because the time we took her in was just following another period of loss of appetite. The results 8 weeks before that, BUN and Creatnine were normal. Millie goes in for a blood screen in two weeks, I will let you know if the BUN or Creatinine levels are elevated then when these tests come back. Are you thinking kidney problems? Millie is a healthy weight currently - it has not fluctuated at all over the last 6 months. I noticed she had not been drinking frequently when I was home this week during the period of refusing food, but after she had eaten on Thursday night, she was drinking quite a lot. I have been checking her urine colour, and it looks normal. There have been no other symptoms such as vomiting and she wasn't dehydrated when she saw the vet on Thursday. I am now giving her Pepcid before her meals as you suggested, and so far so good. I am also sticking to plain food, the eggs in butter went down a treat this morning! Silka - thank-you, I purchased NutriGel this morning. So Riley was fussy, I am certainly able to relate to how you would have been feeling!! As much as I hated the Pred, at least I didn't have to worry about getting her to eat! I feel guilty putting it down to attention - which I had been because I was getting annoyed with her for not eating, when I should have been trying to work out if there was perhaps a reason for it.... It's always in the back of my mind that Millie is a senior dog, and we will be dealing with age-related health issues at some stage in the near future. Her body has been through so much with the IMHA and the drugs, and she also has congestive heart disease. Perhaps that's why I'm so concerned.... Samantha.

Samantha Geelong Australia

Samantha, Yes, I was thinking about kidney values that are mildly elevated. This actually is one of the first signs that things are amiss in an older dog, poor appetite. In a dog with higher BUN and creatinine, excess phosphorous can build up in the blood and this leads to nitrogenous waste products circulating. This makes a dog feel nauseous and is a real appetite killer. I would not necessarily worry about this, but wanted to make sure you are alert to check this with your vet. Many people do not think much of a missed meal in an older dog, but it should be something to check for. By the way, eggs, esp the whites are considered the best source of protein for dogs with kidney problems as they are very bioavailable. They are used as part of many home made canine kidney diets. Hopefully this is just behavioral and there is no serious problem. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

How's Millie making out today Sam? Eating some more? Patrice, I got a quick question for ya. Tessy's UREA is slightly high (12.6) but her creatinine is normal. Her amylase has climbed above normal for the first time ever at 2215 and her ALKP is a tad over norm at 344. Our testing here doesn't include the Lipase so I was just wondering what you might think about this....you got me wondering now when you said about the kidneys. She shows no symptoms of pancreas probs so I'm sorta baffled. I'd assume something GI related but I'm just not sure. Sorry for hijacking you post Sam. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Johnny, In the cases where the BUN is mildly elevated, but creatinine is considered normal, determining the ratio of the two will indicate if there is a potential problem. BUN, in and of itself, is not a particularly accurate indicator of the cause of problems. In addition, a vet will want to determine the possible cause of the elevated BUN and there are three categories that this can fall into: pre-renal, renal and post-renal. Measuring the urine specific gravity can help sort this out. Pre-renal usually indicates some problem with blood flow to the kidneys such as poor output from the heart(not a problem with the kidneys.) Renal is a problem with the kidney and post renal is some sort of anatomical obstruction or leakage. I am reading, though, that a common cause of an elevated BUN is upper gastrointestinal tract hemorrhage (so pre-renal). This might just happen because of exposure to prednisone and is one reason that we are so careful to make sure that our dogs get pepcid and sucralfate to protect these delicate internal structures. Azotemia is the condition that occurs when nitrogenous wastes are reabsorbed (from the tubules in the kidney) back into the bloodstream. This can cause poor appetite and in sufficient quantity can cause neurological symptoms as the nitrogen reaches the brain. There are many more serious symptoms such as pacing, agitation, circling, head pressing, disorientation, hallucinations. Elevated ALKP is an imperfect indicator of liver function and is generally considered a common side effect of using glucocorticosteroids like prednisone. It is indicating cellular damage, and this usually is a combination of muscle wasting and liver impairment in dogs being treated with high dose prednisone. At one point Chance's number was over 8600. It did drop very quickly when I used Denamarin and dropped to around the 250-400 range once we decreased and discontinued the prednisone. But I never saw it get back under the normal high range. The liver is amazingly regenerative, but there can be some residual damage. So I think these numbers are not always all liver related. However, an elevated ALKP in conjunction with elevated amylase could indicate pancreatic damage. That, and the lipase are imperfect indicators for pancreatitis. A better test for dogs is called the Canine Pancreatic Lipase cPL; "Canine pancreatic lipase (cPL) is of pancreatic origin only. Therefore increases in cPL reflect its release from the pancreas. The sensitivity for an acute pancreatitis was in one study 81.8%.9 It was reported, that serum cPL is not elevated in dogs that suffered from gastritis or received glucocorticoids." I personally think that some of these test results can be equivocal without the signs and symptoms that indicate real problems. Remember that high dose prednisone use does cause a type of Canine Cushings Disease that is not permanent called Iatrogenic or caused by high dose glucocorticosteroid use. There are many many signs and symptoms of this condition, hopefully most resolve when lowering the dose of prednisone. So I still feel it's important to keep a daily journal in the kitchen, writing down everything. And I mean everything. My vet once told me that "JNDR just not doing right" is one of the most common complaints she hears. And she is often given very little in the way of signs and symptoms to go on! So, combining test results with a notebook full of all the meds administered, food intake, urine and feces output and then a general overview of symptoms on a daily basis is a gold mine. This can lead to a real microscopic view of the problem and an easier solution. So in short, if Tessy's values do not return to normal range, her BUN/creatinine ratio is near or above 1.6-2, and she exhibits symptoms of discomfort or in-appetance, I would pursue further testing or at least have a conversation with a vet. I don't have the clinical experience that they have and they usually can quickly explain why something is or isn't a problem! This was a good question and is something that most everyone here might run into at one point or another. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Thanks Patrice. That helped me millions! I'm leaning more towards Renal Azotemia or chronic renal failure (beginning stage perhaps). I'm not sure and am only speculating. I can't figure out the BUN/creatinine ratio from the numbers...still trying. Her crea is 51 if that helps. The only reason I'm saying Renal Azotemia is because I know her urine specific gravity was 1.014 at one point and was always on the lower side....but this was when she had an UTI!?!? I guess I'm going ot have to go get some more tests done to rule things out before they become a problem. Thanks gain, Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hi Johnny, Is Tessy's Creatinine 5.1 or 51? I hope you really mean .51. :( Do you know if there is protein in her urine? There is a test that checks the urine protein/creatine ratio that is very helpful. I am not sure just how much the bun/creatinine ratio on a regular chem panel will help. I know the BUN can be afffected by a few things (her diet for one) but the creatinine alone is a very good indicator of kidney issues. Unfortunately, I know more than I would ever want to when it comes to kidney problems as my aiha boy passed from kidney/liver failure. Please keep us posted. Teresa

Teresa va

Hi again Johnny, I wanted to forward you a link that was very helpful to me. The info is actually very detailed (for cats) but Jacob's specialist always gave her clients the link because it is so well written in "layman's" terms and she said the same would apply to dogs or cats. http://www.felinecrf.org/diagnosis.htm#kidney_function_measures

Teresa va

Thanks Teresa. I've been doing quite a bit of research this past week regarding these numbers and the only option I really have is to have more tests done to find out and until then I can only assume or speculate on what it might be...if anything. I think the ratio is 25 but I could be wrong. The crea # is 51 so I'm assuming that would be a 0.51 making the ratio 25...which would be alright. The last timeI had the blood sent out the ratio was pretty high at close to 130!!! I'm planning on getting the full urinalysis done as well as to find out the UPC ratio (protien/urine/crea). I'll probably have them check the microalbuminuria test as well. By sending out for results I'll also be able to get the Lipase #'s...which would help answer some questions. There's just too many "fill in the blanks" at the moment for me to be certain of anything. OHHHH...Samantha, again I'm sorry for hijacking your thread. My Bad!! Is Millie eating a little more today? I hope he starts to regain his appetite. Did you try him with the good human food? My thoughts and prayers are with him. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Samantha, a good TIP! Try baby food, purred chicken broth. NO STWES or ONION POWDER! Just puree meat that has broth added in. I gave this to Baby when she had a severe anemic attack and wouldn’t eat or drink for days! I started to use it in her water and she almost drank the whole thing I had to stop her to slow down! I also gave her puree turkey w/broth, beef w/ broth, pureed peas, carrots & sweet potato! She LOVED the purred turkey mixed with the peas! I would take about a teaspoon of the baby food and a small amount of her dried dog food and mix in a small amount of hot tap water. Worked like a charm! You might have trouble breaking her off it! Just make sure it’s only the meat with broth or veg and no other ingredients or additives. Gerber is a great one.

Brande NY

one more thing I don't know if you have pill pockets there, but they are made by Greenies, and they will help the steroids from lying in the bottom of her tummy! :)

Brande NY

It’s just the meds, your baby just feels icky I’m sure. And nothing is turning her on. Just make SURE there is NO blood in her stool! Look out for the GI tract pitfall! I know it sounds BAD but if you had a glove or something you can give your baby a rectal with your finger and if blood is present it would show! I know…that’s real sexy huh…

Brande NY

Johnny No probs on hijacking my thread! This is all relevant to Millie so I am trying to learn as much as I can. Thank you Patrice for bringing this to my attention. We are back at the vet in a week and a half, and I will be interested to get these results and the ones from the Christmas Eve. I will let you know. Brande, thank you for the broth idea, I will certainly try it as I am constantly having to think of new ways to get her to eat. Millie has to have some Heart meds twice a day. These pills are huge, so i will look for these pill pockets as i am worried that we might be scratching her throat when putting them down with our fingers. I do try to keep an eye on her stool, it has been quite loose this week and she is making some really bad smells! Millie has her appetite back now, so I can relax a little. However i know this will happen again.... Thanks to all for your time in helping us! Sam and Millie

Samantha Geelong Australia

Baby seems not a small dog but her mouth was small, I ALWAYS had trouble with pills with her, make sure and try to get the ones that say for capsules they are bigger and hold larger pills the others are for round regular size pills. This is sold somtimes in pet stores but your vet should have them if not. Or try 1800-pet meds they are fast and cheap! You won't regret getting them I can say that, they saved me from having to crush Baby's with a pill crusher! What a pain!

Brande NY

Samantha, Good to hear that Millie is eating again! Whatever you have done is working. I had forgotten that Millie has a heart condition. This is especially important to what you have been asking. I will tell you why. We have been chasing around some problems with Chance and finally took him back to see his heart specialist two weeks ago. He did a full workup on his heart as it has been a full year since the last one. The main conclusion was that his heart is worse. However, he said that it is amazing he is still doing so well, most dogs he diagnoses don't make it past 6-8 months. He categorizes his problems as related to "low heart output." This means that the heart is having a harder time pumping enough blood to the body. This is expected and is progressive. You cannot run a pump constantly all the time and not expect it to wear out at some point. So organs that like a lot of blood (fluid) like the kidneys and liver are going "dry" so to speak. Remember this: "The heart likes things dry, the kidneys like things wet." What is the solution? Well, dogs with heart conditions are given meds to help the heart pump more efficiently; for instance ACE inhibitors (for example benazapril) or Vetmedin. I suspect you are using Vetmedin because you mention the pill size. They are also given meds to help remove fluid that builds up around the heart and other areas, diuretics like lasix. This occurs because blood may back up into the heart pump instead of going to the body and fluid leaks out into the area around the lungs. This constricts the area around the heart making it harder to pump. There can be a condition that occurs when things get too dry for the kidneys called prerenal azotemia. This means that the kidney is not getting all the blood it would like to process wastes and some of those nitrogenous wastes are reabsorbed back into the blood stream in error. These wastes are toxic and at the very least make you feel sick and at the worst can enter the brain creating neurological symptoms. Kidney values rise on chem screens. It's important to understand that this does not mean that the dog has kidney failure, only that it would work a lot better if it could get more blood. However, if left to continue this way, the kidney could begin to show signs of problems. So our first treatment change included adjusting all of the dosages of Chance's meds to accommodate his current needs, not those of a year ago when the doses were much lower. So he instructed us to increase the lasix dose to get rid of the extra fluid around the heart. Also change the benazapril dose to twice a day to improve the heart's pumping efficiency. He noted that all of his doses were at a very very low dose for his weight. Recheck heart x-ray and kidney values in one week. At first he perked up and his appetite improved. But very quickly the problems that are associated with higher lasix doses combined with benazapril surfaced and his tests the following week showed this. So now we were instructed to reduce the lasix and add another diuretic that often works in combo with it called spironolactone. Also add a special drug that helps improve appetite and recheck x-ray and chem values next week. So far so good, improved appetite and seems to be feeling better. He has been anxious to go for relatively long walks the last week. This is amazing to us. But I am still having to hand feed him more food than he cares to eat right now. I hope this will change. This is a tough time of the year to be caring for him. He loves to go outside and walk around the yard, but he gets so cold that I have to put him under a blanket with a heating pad when he comes in. I have a sweater on him all the time. I hope he can make to springtime and then he can lay in the sun all day. So, in conclusion, if Millie has a heart condition (and there are many variations of what this can mean exactly) there could be changes occurring that are similar to what Chance is experiencing (for instance poor appetite and refusing food). She could need an adjustment in her meds. It may be time for a checkup with a specialist. I hope this helps somewhat. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

Patrice, This makes so much sense - thank you for taking the time out to explain it to me. I am sorry to hear Chance has been having problems, I hope his tests next week show some positive results. I remember you telling me when Milie first got sick that Chance had a heart murmur (I think you described it as 'Plain Vanilla'), I had no idea that he was on medication. Is Chance's condition related to age? You must be encouraged that he is wanting to take longer walks? Do you moderate his exercise given the condition of his heart? What is the difference between the Vetmedin and the benazapril? I imagine that the cold weather would make things harder for you to care for Chance, keeping him warm would certainly be a priority. We are having the opposite problem here - it is very warm, and Millie struggles through the hot days.... I leave the air-conditioner on for her in the lounge room while we are away at work, but I always find her sprawled somewhere else in the house that is far too hot for her. What am I to do?! Millie is on 1.25mg Vetmedin morning and night for her congestive heart disease - most likely a legacy of the mouth full of rotting teeth she had when we rescued her. I am unsure whether she saw a specialist a year ago when we took her to the Teaching Hospital during her IMHA crisis. I didn't really focus on the heart issues then because I was too preoccupied with the IMHA. Millie does cough a lot and I was worried this was a symptom of fluid on her lungs, and that the heart disease was progressing. However the vets think it is not, it is a collapsed trachea.... They have not checked this though. So currently we do not use any diuretics. Patrice, can the vets tell accurately by listening to her lungs and heart that there is no fluid build up? Would you recommend a heart X-Ray for Millie to see exactly what is going on? I am certainly raising everything you said above next week when we see Millie's vet -that I would like to see a specialist and your suspicions of prerenal azetomia. I am wondering why they haven't considered this before - this must be the fourth time I have raised my concerns over Millie's appetite to them. I will have 2 lots of test results to compare, so that should tell me more. I can't thank you enough for this Patrice. Samantha.

Samantha Geelong Australia

Samantha, Coughing is top on the list of signs of a heart condition in a dog. Fluid around the heart compresses the heart and surrounding areas and pushes up near the trachea (which runs across near the top of the heart if you are looking from the side of the dog). Yes, a vet can listen with a stethoscope to the heart and lungs and tell if there is fluid in the lungs and what degree of murmur there is. An x-ray is a fast and very good diagnostic tool to see the size and shape of the heart. It can also show if there is fluid around the heart. A very round heart (rather than a nice heart shape) indicates some level of a heart condition. The vet can use a series of measurements (as related to the ribs) and determine much of the condition of the heart. If the x-ray shows just a cloudiness around where the heart should be this would indicate fluid buildup. More sophisticated tests are an ECG electrocardiogram, to measure the heart rate visually on a chart (looking for certain landmarks) and a doppler ultrasound to visually examine the heart as it is beating. From this they can determine many things like the thickness of the walls of the atriums and ventricles. They can watch the amount of blood that flows backwards from a murmur. After these measurements are taken they perform math formulas to determine the degree of the problem. This will tell the vet how much blood is actually making it out to the aorta and to the body. Chance's murmur has worsened, but this is to be expected. The mitral valve gets thicker over time and cannot close well, blood flows back up to the atrium instead of to the body. I watched this on the doppler. Humans can have this valve replaced but dogs do not have this option. In addition he has an arrhythmia that must be controlled. This is an irregular heart rate and is one of the things that can cause syncope episodes. I know that we are giving him the correct dosage of meds now because he is not having syncope. Heart conditions go hand in hand with something called Cachexia. This is a condition of poor appetite and loss of weight. It is related to inflammation in the body caused by the heart problems. One of the most significant treatments that can be used to reduce this inflammation is not drugs, but fish oil. It has been shown to be a significant benefit in dogs with heart conditions. I recommend 1- 1000mg fish oil capsule per 10 lbs of dog per day. Also administer vitE at 400mg with this. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

This thread was discussed between 04/02/2010 and 08/02/2010

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