QUESTION

The love of my life has an enlarged heart and she was quite ill for a few days. I thought I might lose her, but she has got some of her energy back and is eating again but she is breathing with great difficulty. It breakes my heart to see her struggling like this. I have heard that Vetmedin can repair the damage done to her heart, is this correct? I was told that the muscles around her heart were damaged and that is what the lanoxin are for. Could you please tell me what the overall prognosis is for my dog, as I would hate to put Ellie through any unnessary pain or discomfort.

Irene

ANSWER

Dear Irene,
An enlarged heart in a seven year old dog is usually caused by either a leaking valve in the heart or by, less commonly, a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. The first case carries a more favorable prognosis than the later. I presume your vet has performed xrays, an ECG and possibly ultrasound to help distinguish between the two.

Valvular disease is more common and, given the correct management, your dog can live many more happy years. However, the fact that she has been put on four types of heart medications suggests that the more serious DCM is the case. enalopril is a drug that helps to dilate blood vessels and so helps the heart to beat more effectively, frusemide is a diuretic to take fluid away from her lungs, lanoxin(digoxin) helps the heart to beat more strongly and Vetmedin is a new drug that claims to both help the heart and make it beat more strongly. Beyond that it is difficult to speculate on Ellie's prognosis without knowing more about her clinical details. I hope she does well on all her medication.

Paul Wilson