Q: Our 9-year-old dog, Rags, has been diagnosed with congestive
heart failure. We took him to the vet because he is always tired.
What is this condition?
Q: Our 9-year-old dog, Rags, has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. We took him to the vet because he is always tired. What is this condition? It sounds bad but our vet says he could maybe live for another year or two. We have some pills but they don’t seem to help at all.
A: Sorry to hear about Rag’s problems. But there may be some other treatments that could make him feel better. There are many ways to treat his condition, and to understand how the different medications work, you need to understand what is meant by the diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF).
CHF can be caused by several different conditions, all of which result in a lack of efficiency of the heart muscle. The heart’s main function is to pump and circulate blood throughout the body. This way, the heart distributes oxygen and other nutrients and also sends metabolic waste-products to the kidneys and liver where they are eliminated. If the heart begins to fail, all of these functions become inadequate.
Rags tires easily because less oxygen is circulating in his bloodstream. If you look closely, you might see him breathe with a little more effort now, especially when he exerts himself. His body tries to compensate for the heart’s inadequacy so he breathes faster trying to get more oxygen. This, alone, can be very tiring. But besides this, he may feel fatigued because of a buildup of certain metabolic wastes.
CHF can be caused by many different medical problems, anything from cardiomyopathy (a pathologic enlargement of the heart muscle) to pulmonary hypertension to heartworm disease. Even a deficiency of the amino acid Taurine can cause symptoms of CHF.
All these different diseases can cause similar symptoms, just like you see in Rags. But each needs to be treated in a different way. So it’s very important to know how or why Rags developed CHF. That’s why a thorough workup including blood tests and an echocardiogram by a specialist can be a huge help. Given enough information, your vet can prescribe specific medications that might make him feel better and extend his life for a considerably longer period.
Treatment for many of these causes of congestive heart failure can be very effective. Sometimes the changes to the heart are even reversible. But it’s impossible to prescribe effective medication without a thorough evaluation by a veterinary cardiologist. Please ask your veterinarian for a referral to a specialist and I bet Rags will feel a lot better.
Q: We just got a new puppy. He’s about 10 weeks old and his name is Frank (don’t ask why). A friend of ours said that we shouldn’t let Frank outside for at least two months until he has had all his puppy shots. This can’t be true, can it? Why?
A: Your friend is right … almost. Puppy owners always want to take their new family member out for a walk in the park. But there are considerable risks if you take Frank to public places before he’s fully vaccinated. Here’s why.
Several virus infections are a serious threat to any dog, especially young pups. Canine Distemper and Canine Parvovirus are very common diseases in this area. These virus infections are transmitted several ways, including via infected stool (feces) from another dog. So let’s say Frank steps in some infected poop on the ground, then later licks his foot. He would easily be infected. And these two viruses can be deadly.
When Parvovirus first appeared in the United States in 1978, many breeders saw entire litters of puppies quickly die because there was no vaccine available to give them protection.
Today, Distemper and Parvo immunizations (vaccines) are administered to puppies in their initial series of shots, starting at about two months and ending after four months of age. Pups are not completely protected until after the last innoculation of this series is given. Only then is a dog safe from infection.
So Frank will have live under careful restrictions until he is four-months-old … when he gets his last vaccination. For the moment, he can go outside, but only under careful watch. No public places where other dogs might have been. The time will pass quickly and after that, he’ll be safe and you can enjoy parks and the beach together.
And someday … you’ll just have to tell us the story behind is name. Maybe Frank can share the spotlight with Bob Barker, Dog Holliday, Woof Blitzer, and some other local pooches with celebrity names.
