Heart failure - how much time?

[Beau_Soleil]

Hello - I have a little maltese poodle mix, 18 years old.

She has had a slight cough for a few months and over this past weekend it got much worse and she had a syncopal episode 2 nights ago. I took her to the urgent care the next AM and after xrays she was diagnosed with heart failure. She was given a shot of Lasix and her cough was better last night. I am still waiting on the pharmacy to finish compounding her meds (lasix and 1 other) Her cough is pretty bad today.

She also has a heart murmur, Addison’s disease, dementia and is deaf and losing her vision. Recently she has started falling and running into things.
But she is generally pretty happy, has a good appetite and runs around outside.

In people’s experience here, how long will the Lasix work for? Am I looking at weeks? months? When I asked the vet, she said that she has had dogs with heart failure live 3-4 years. But since my dog is already 18 and has other issues, I don’t think that is the case here.

I don’t want her to suffer or be uncomfortable. I am just not sure what to do. I have another appointment with her regular vet, but cannot get in for 2 more weeks there.

Any thoughts or ideas would be very appreciated.

Thank you

[jonquil]

Our border collie lived about 2 or 3months after this diagnosis. When she refused real beef stew, I knew it was over. She was only 10, but we think we caused her problem by misunderstanding a vet’s instructions on a med and giving it to her too often, about 5 years before her first syncopal episode. I am sorry about your dog .

[thatmoody]

I have one here currently with CHF although it’s progressing slowly. He’s the poster child for preventative care; was diagnosed via a mild heart murmur and given his first echo at 12, then every 9 months thereafter so we could track his progress. When his heart function declined slightly, he was put on Vetmedin, and then last year when his BP started to rise, on Benazapril. He’s also on gabapentin for arthritis. His kidneys have started to fail now, so we don’t think he has too much longer (he’s 14 or so now).

I had a chihuahua a long time ago who lived from 11-17 on vetmedin and lasix. She did quite well although she had a cough from time to time so we’d up her lasix a bit.

I don’t know if I’d go the full echo route with a dog that old; ours doesn’t have to be sedated for it as he’s an old hand, but some do. And it was used mostly to track the progression of the disease so we could determine the best treatment protocol. We’re doing something similar with his kidneys.

[GoodTimes]

It’s really hard to say, especially without knowing the ventricular function or the extent of valve disease. If the Lasix is working than she should feel better very quickly. And if it does work than it’s certainly possible that you could have many months left.
If she’s already in end stage heart failure than you may not see much improvement with the Lasix.

The falling and running into things could be related to the heart failure, especially if it seems to coincide with any coughing fits or after/during a bout of exercise. But it could be totally unrelated.

[cilla1]

I had a lab mix who lived about 4 years (14-18) after diagnosis, he was on Lasix and another med I can’t recall.

[Lusoluv]

My good friend’s small poodle mix (~14 lbs) lived for 6 months after diagnosis. He may have been able live a month longer, but he was struggling, starting to lose appetite, etc. My friend’s mantra was to put him down on a good day (or a bit early) vs. waiting til a terrible night or emergency scenario…which I highly endorsed.

[TatteredDaydreamer]

Our dog was diagnosed early last year with a pretty severe heart murmur and is in CHF. He is 14-15ish, and other than being almost 100% deaf now is in great condition. He’s on Vasotec and and Pimobendan for his heart and blood pressure, and Rimadyl for his arthritis and is doing GREAT. He still loves to go on walks, and eats well. However, I do think that will be his last Christmas with us. I refuse to let him suffer because I can’t let go, he’s been my best friend since 2009 when I adopted him. But so far, with the meds, his quality of life is very good. He’ll have another echo done early next year to check the status of his murmer/CHF.