Calm me down...irregular heartbeat

zanephoebe said:

Hey all. For those who don't remember me- the backstory is that I lost my sweet 6 year old boy to DCM on June 23rd this year. I also have a female dobe- she is 6.5 years old. I decided to take her to the vet today to get checked out- I had noticed she was breathing heavier when sleeping, slight labored breathing more (almost raspy sounding). Just for peace of mind, I thought an appt was in order.

My mom took her today as I was at work. She just let me know they found an irregular heartbeat and did an EKG. It is going to be looked at by a cardiologist and we will know results tomorrow. Guys, I am freaking out. My first thoughts go to DCM and it is just too much. All those memories and emotions are coming back to me- I just don't know if I can do it again.

Be honest with me please- how worried should I be?

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There are other things that can cause an irregular heartbeat. But I'm not going to deny that I'd be pretty darned worried about DCM if it were me.

I know exactly how you feel. I lost a male to liver disease in July 2008, a disease that's just as deadly as DCM. In Sept. of 08, my black bitch was diagnosed with the exact same thing. Not even 3 months separated the death of one dog and the second dog being diagnosed as being in the early stages of the same damned disease.

You CAN do it again, because, really, you don't have much choice. You can make the decision to never own another doberman if you don't want to deal with these diseases more than once (or at all)..but when it comes to dealing with the hand you were dealt with the dog in front of you, you *do* struggle though, for the sake of the dog. You reach down deep, and the fortitude IS there.

Even if your girl's irregular heartbeat turns out to be something else, it's really a good idea for her (and every doberman) to have regular cardiac testing. If DCM is caught in the early stages, lifespan CAN be extended through treatment.

I'm so sorry--I can't imagine how horrible you must feel right now. It is worrying, but it's important not to panic. My vet found an irregularly irregular heartbeat on my boy 6 months ago, and told us to get an appt. at the cardiologist's. I wanted to cry that first day. At the cardiologists, we found that it wasn't DCM, although he does have heart disease. Some of the arrhythmias are from respiratory sinus arrhythmias, but others are idiopathic, and while his echo was normal, his shortening fraction was worryingly low/normal. But my boy thinks that nothing is wrong and that he's still an 8 month old pup, so that's how we treat him, like nothing is wrong. The only thing we can do is continue to regularly test until he gets bad enough that it is classified as DCM, and then we medicate. We just got back from our second cardiologist visit and he currently has a 24 hr holter on him right now that will be sent back to the cardiologist's tomorrow. If you ever need someone to talk to, please feel free to PM me.

Well, my worst nightmare has come true- my sweet, sweet girl is now fighting the battle against DCM. Her EKG came back that she is in atrial fibrillation. Meds were started today- all the same ones Zane was on, plus an antiarrhythmic drug. I just can't believe it- I just feel so deflated. I am definitely in the anger stage- 3 months is not enough time to heal before facing this again.

After having gone through it with Zane, I KNOW I can get through it. I will admit though, the thoughts of worrying about her dropping over at any moment and constantly watching her breathing are overwhelming- when my mind goes there, I feel like I can't breathe. Life changes so, so quickly. Hug your babies and watch them closely. The ONLY symptom Phoebe had was heavier breathing while sleeping- she has not shown any of the typical symptoms.

Thanks, once again, for all the support. One day at a time...