[Daisygirl]

I know there is no way of knowing for sure when a dog in controlled CHF will start to go downhill. From what I've heard it happens quickly.

My question would be "How Long do you wait for the meds and procedures to try and stabilize her again"?? Daisy is already on meds for CHF and is well controlled, but I know there will come a point when they won't work as well anymore. She is close to the max doses already.

I have to go away for a week and I'm panicking that something will happen while I'm gone . . . she will be left with strict instructions and very good care, but obviously there are things out of our control.

My dachshund went into CHF suddenly, with no warning, and he suffered all night long while we waited for the meds to kick in, which never happened. I don't want to do that again

 

[Murreydobe]

I know there is no way of knowing for sure when a dog in controlled CHF will start to go downhill. From what I've heard it happens quickly.

My question would be "How Long do you wait for the meds and procedures to try and stabilize her again"?? Daisy is already on meds for CHF and is well controlled, but I know there will come a point when they won't work as well anymore. She is close to the max doses already.

I have to go away for a week and I'm panicking that something will happen while I'm gone . . . she will be left with strict instructions and very good care, but obviously there are things out of our control.

My dachshund went into CHF suddenly, with no warning, and he suffered all night long while we waited for the meds to kick in, which never happened. I don't want to do that again

What I've learned over the years is that the period from the first time you get the dog stabilized (when the diagnosis of chf is made) to the next time it crashes is going to be the longest quality time you'll get. I think once the dog starts crashing, it happens with ever increasing frequency.

An example would be one of the dogs I bred. He was maintained on very low dosages of vetmedin, lasix, etc. for about 8 1/2 months. Then he crashed. We tweaked his meds-that stabilized him for two weeks, then he crashed again. At that point, we pts. Even though we still had room to increase the dosage of the meds again, he'd been through enough.

If I had a do over, I'd have had him pts when he crashed at the 8 1/2 month mark. The two weeks he got before he crashed again weren't worth putting him through all of it again. So that was a lesson learned, and something that won't be done again. Dogs get one chance here now....

However, everyone looks at this different, we all have to make our own choices about this. I just think dragging a dog back from the brink of death over and over again is bordering on being cruel. It must be terrifying for them to be drowning in fluid like that, especially when they don't understand.

My cardiologist always has given me a few pre-measured syringes of injectable lasix for emergencies, which obviously work a lot faster (and better) at drying the lungs out than tablets. The instructions have been to use one of those syringes, then transport if there isn't relief within minutes.

 

[Luvbirds]

I know there is no way of knowing for sure when a dog in controlled CHF will start to go downhill. From what I've heard it happens quickly.

My question would be "How Long do you wait for the meds and procedures to try and stabilize her again"?? Daisy is already on meds for CHF and is well controlled, but I know there will come a point when they won't work as well anymore. She is close to the max doses already.

I have to go away for a week and I'm panicking that something will happen while I'm gone . . . she will be left with strict instructions and very good care, but obviously there are things out of our control.

My dachshund went into CHF suddenly, with no warning, and he suffered all night long while we waited for the meds to kick in, which never happened. I don't want to do that again

I hope for you that the week you are gone is business as usual with your girl. I know how hard it is to leave them when they have DCM, I spent 20 months fearing leaving my boy. My Petey chose to pass away the only night all my sons were home, first time in many months and now actually today is 8 months since he passed, and my sons have not all been under the same roof again, and right now....with my oldest doing Americorp...it might be years until that happens again. I think they know the right time. Hugs to you.

 

[Murreydobe]

I had to dogsit one of the dogs I bred who was in chf when his co owner left town. I literally started every day telling him he was NOT ALLOWED to die until she came home. I didn't want to have to make that phone call for a million bucks. Always being a very good boy, he did that favor for me.