CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Health => Topic started by: chrisp on August 30, 2017, 10:11:02 AM
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Our beautiful Mollie was on Friday sadly diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure at only age 5. We've been told we have caught it early and that she is at the lower end of the scale but as it is the right side of her heart is 1/3 bigger and is pressing on her lungs and trachea. She has been put on Fortekor and Upcard tablets daily and will be having a heart scan in next Tues to see how the tablets are working. Can you please let me know who you get your online prescriptions from? Also if I claim from my insurance for medication each month are my premiums likely to rocket so would it be better for me to claim or pay myself for the medication? Any positive advice and re exercise, vitamins etc would be appreciated as we are devastated and completely shocked.
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So sorry to hear this - dogs can live well on the meds (and when Ruby had congestive heart failure I didn't change her lifestyle either as it was more about quality of life - she died age 12).
It depends on the insurers - mine rocketed re Lady's health conditions but to be fair they give me back each month how much I pay for in her meds (optimmune, metacam and yumoveadvance) so not an issue for me really. Two of my dogs are with another insurer that doesn't hike premiums up if you claim but then I have to pay out more in excess etc. so its swings and roundabouts for me really.
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So sorry to hear this. Not had a dog with this problem so cannot advise. All best wishes.
Rodney
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So sorry to read this, I can imagine what a shock it must have been! I don't have any advice I'm afraid but just wanted to lend support and hope it'll be possible to keep the condition managed. Mollie really is a beautiful girl, she's very like my Humphrey.
I hope someone else will be able to offer you more practical advice. Sending out positive healing thoughts and very best wishes! :bigarmhug: to Mollie.
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Our lovely Bertie was diagnosed with heart failure (dilated cardiomyopathy) at 5 years. We were heart broken as I was on chemotherapy and my husband thought he was losing both of us. He was put on Fortekor, Vetmedin and Frusemide (Bertie not my husband!). We were only insured for a year's worth of tablets with LV so it cost us over £190 for three months supply after the first year. We had to pay the vet for the prescriptions, which was £12 each and we used Animed Direct for the tablets. They were the cheapest and very good. I think your premiums will probably go up, but if you are fully insured it will be cheaper in the long run. We have learnt our lesson and our gorgeous new boy, Benny, is insured for life with LV.
One of the vets told us Bertie only had a couple of months to live, but he lived very happily for the next 4 years and we lost him last November aged 9. I believe, with the right medication and lots of care and love Mollie could be like Bertie. We never took him for long walks and were especially careful on hot days. I fed him with low salt good food and I am sure this helped. Unfortunately, he also had fits, but the vet didn't think it was related. Not many only a dozen over two years.
If you ever want to send me a private message or want any more information, please don't hesitate. I couldn't find anyone who had the same problem and it was hard sometimes.
Wishing Mollie lots of happy days, like Bertie had.
x
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So sorry to hear x no advice sorry, but try having a look at some of the facebook groups, there is lots of information and additional natural remedies that Mollie might benefit from xx
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I have PM'd you.
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So sorry to read your news, no advice I'm afraid, but sending positive vibes and :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: for you and your little girl :luv:
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Our lovely Bertie was diagnosed with heart failure (dilated cardiomyopathy) at 5 years. We were heart broken as I was on chemotherapy and my husband thought he was losing both of us. He was put on Fortekor, Vetmedin and Frusemide (Bertie not my husband!). We were only insured for a year's worth of tablets with LV so it cost us over £190 for three months supply after the first year. We had to pay the vet for the prescriptions, which was £12 each and we used Animed Direct for the tablets. They were the cheapest and very good. I think your premiums will probably go up, but if you are fully insured it will be cheaper in the long run. We have learnt our lesson and our gorgeous new boy, Benny, is insured for life with LV.
One of the vets told us Bertie only had a couple of months to live, but he lived very happily for the next 4 years and we lost him last November aged 9. I believe, with the right medication and lots of care and love Mollie could be like Bertie. We never took him for long walks and were especially careful on hot days. I fed him with low salt good food and I am sure this helped. Unfortunately, he also had fits, but the vet didn't think it was related. Not many only a dozen over two years.
If you ever want to send me a private message or want any more information, please don't hesitate. I couldn't find anyone who had the same problem and it was hard sometimes.
Wishing Mollie lots of happy days, like Bertie had.
x
This is a really interesting read.
I'm sorry to read about Mollie (also Bertie) I know how awful this sort of diagnosis seems at the time but with meds and careful management animals do really well.
I had a Siamese cat who was on Foretkor for 5 years - age 13 months to just before her 6th birthday. She was also on frusemide (poly cystic kidney disease and grade 4 heart murmur) she did really well although also suffered from fits as she passed 5 years old :huh: having said that, her quality of life was astonishingly good for most of the time and she eventually died from a brain tumour (she was riddled with tumours at the end) Chester was a remarkable cat - at 13 months old I was informed she was unlikely to make it to 18 months. I'm convinced the meds helped support her far beyond any expectations - after moving house the new Vet couldn't believe the diagnosis/previous practice notes and even now talks about her as being the healthiest cat with the worst kidneys he's ever seen in a living animal!
I'm sure Mollie will do really well on the meds.
Chesters insurance premium hardly went up over the 5 years she was on the meds. That was with Petplan - they are expensive compared to some but to be fair it cost £28pcm in tablets and The premium was c £25pcm
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what devastating news and such a young dog. all Fingers and paws crossed here for you and Mollie :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
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First of all, your Mollie is beautiful and reminded me so much of my Mollie who died in 2010 aged 14 of just old age, lucky girl. I hope your Mollie does as well. I have had a cocker with heart problems, Hollie; she did extremely well on the medication (as Mollie's) for many years and in fact died of an unrelated cancer. She was by no means an invalid; I did cut down on her exercise but we still had plenty of good times. It is good that a few Col-ers are sharing similar experiences with you and I sure you and Mollie will soon get into the tablet-taking routine and enjoy your partnership as much if not more than before. A big hug to you both.
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Really sorry to hear poor Mollie's sad news, I hope her meds are sorted quickly and she continues to enjoy a long, happy life :bigarmhug:
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So sorry to here your news, hope the meds work and she does well.
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I think one of the only ones that doesn't seem to go up after you claim is petplan - mine never has (I have had pets on same premiums with them and one pet claims and other doesn't and they both just go up the same amount after government tax & inflation) but its the more expensive of the insurers anyway - others do go up but sometimes you find while its a shock to begin with its not as bad as it looks - well until the government get their stealth tax in though.
Good luck with the heart scan (Lady was so chilled at hers thankfully she didn't need sedating)
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So sorry to hear about Mollie, sending healing and positive thoughts :luv: :luv:
Stephanie, George and Hamish xxx
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I have not been on here for a few days as Grace and I have been away since the 30th August.
I feel wretched for you receiving this diagnosis for Mollie - I was and remain totally heartbroken that my Grace has been diagnosed with mitral valve disease.
I know there are different types of heart problems and I think your Mollie has the type that is more typical with Cockers - where Grace has the type that is more typical with Cavaliers.
She had her heart scan at the RVC recently and was relaxed enough not to need any sedation - thus far her heart has not enlarged, but we have no idea as to how fast she will deteriorate, she could have as little as one year or as many as five years before she reaches CHF. I have promised Grace that every single day is a special day for her and I can only imagine how much more painful this would be if I were in your shoes.
I have been reading as much possible to try and keep Grace healthy - she is having Butternut Box as her main diet with some raw food two or three times a week. She has one or two sardines (tinned in spring water) every other day and then she has supplements - fish oils, Dr Mercola Ubiquinol and Carnicare - I am also looking into golden paste as to whether this is something else she may benefit from. My vet has said that he needs to know what supplements she is having as sometimes they can interfere with drugs - thankfully, Grace is not yet on any medication. I have also agreed with my vet that Grace will not be vaccinated again - we will titre test, but from all that I have read she should not be vaccinated again now that she has this condition. Another item on the 'to do' list is to find a holistic vet - not to replace my regular vet, but to hopefully provide more options that may help to keep Grace healthy for longer.
As far as exercise is concerned, the cardiologist told me to treat Grace as a normal dog, my own vet advised to not let her get too hot and to stop her if she got breathless. I have totally turned her exercise regime upside down - she now has 1.5 hrs in the morning and 1.0 hrs in the evening - but this is on lead street walking with only 30 minutes of that off lead in the park - and whilst in the park I only throw the ball occasionally. Grace definitely was not happy with this regime to start with - she wanted to jump in the car, drive to the park and chase balls! I used treats when walking to encourage her and now she 'kind of' enjoys street walking and will keep reminding me when a treat is due!! In a way, I think her life now is more interesting as she is sniffing things and seeing things that passed her by before - she is also never left alone now, not even for five minutes, as she suffers anxiety when I used to leave her, which is obviously not good for her heart. My vet also advised to 'train, train, train and train' her to be calmer now and not wait until she is suffering symptoms - he knows that Grace is a totally hyper crazy Cocker and to change her routine suddenly would be harder than to start doing things differently now.
I know I'm rambling on here - my life revolves around Grace - we are currently on her 'bucket list' holiday which is three weeks and two days in Padstow! Grace is loving it and I'm having a nervous breakdown trying to get her to be calmer - my vet said not to take this holiday away from her and those words stuck with me, so we are here!
If there is any information we can exchange to keep our girls as healthy as possible for as long as possible that would be great. I read and read and read so many articles that I get lost with the different things available.