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Congestive Heart Failure

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Whippets Rule

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My gorgeous whippet boy Badger has congestive heart failure....he struggles to get onto the sofa or bed...the stairs are beating him..he is more sleepy and breathing more heavily than he used to....he collapsed last week and it was his heart not getting blood to his brain.......sadly he started to cough this morning and although happy enough in himself, he is far from all right......

he starts his heart medication tonight but the outlook is pretty bleak...am so indescribably sad..especially when i think that three weeks ago we were celebrating his 14th birthday................
 
I'm so sorry! I lost my Jack Russel x last May and his ashes still sit on my bedside table because I can't bring myself to scatter them. I had Billy for 15 years and swore I wasn't going to get another dog but Ash chose me and now I have Hector too. The hardest decision I have ever had to make was letting Billy go peacefully. Someone said to me that he would tell me when he was ready and he did.

My heart goes out to you. Just make the most of the time you have left together.

My thoughts are with you x
 
I am so sorry to hear that your beloved Badger is beginning to fail in health.

I hope that he responds well to the tablets and that they buy you a bit more time.

My old girl Lady passed away a couple of years ago. The tablets did not suit her and had too many side effects.

Hopefully, Badger may tolerate them better.

Thinking of you at this time :(
 
I am thinking of you and Badger, Heidi :huggles:

Many years ago my beloved cat died at the age of 17 from congestive heart failure. She was struggling to breathe and I had booked the vet for the next morning :( She died in her sleep that night, lying beside my bed and I felt so guilty that I hadn't had the courage to end her suffering before that night.

I still carry that guilt today :'(

I do hope that you can enjoy some quality time with Badger for a while - live each moment with him and love him loads :wub:
 
Really sorry to hear about Badger, Heidi :( I hope the tablets work and buy you some extra time together. Thinking of you at this difficult time :huggles:
 
Thinking of you and Badger at this difficult time ... over the years we lost 2 of our dogs to congestive heart failure; it's awful to see them struggle I know. I cried so much when they each had to be put to sleep but at least they were no longer suffering.

Hugs to you both at this time; he sounds a lovely old lad in your posts.

Gill

x
 
:( so sorry to hear this. Love and hugs to Badger from Willow and Buffy xxx
 
So sorry to hear that Badger is so ill ... thinking of you both :huggles:
 
Im so sorry to read this about Badger, so sad.

My Chip was on heart tablets for the last year or so of his life...and occasionally had blackouts and fits too towards the end.

Like others have said...Just enjoy the time you have...they just dont live long enough do they.... :( Thinking of you x
 
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I am so sorry to hear of Badgers health problems :( I really hope the tablets start to work soon and he is more comfortable. Thinking of you and give him lots of gentle hugs from me :huggles:
 
Bless his heart, sorry to read that he's so poorly :(
 
So sorry to hear about Badger's poor health. :( I do hope he starts to feel better with the new tablets. :luck: :luck: Sending him positive thoughts and hugs. :huggles: :huggles:
 
Poor Badger- so sorry to hear of his health problems :( My old girl had to be put to sleep after struggling with congestive heart failure aged 15 :(

She did have tablets, and for a while they improved her quality of life. Hope Badger does well with his :luck:
 
So sorry to hear of Badgers heart problem Heidi, I hope the tablets help him :luck: :luck: :luck:
 
Thinking of you both and sending lots of gentle hugs :huggles: :huggles: :huggles: Hope the tablets make him more comfortable.
 
Poor Badger :( Hope his medication helps, and it gives you lots more time together. Thinking about you at this hard time. x
 
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so sorry hun, thinking of you & badger :huggles:
 
thanks guys...thinking a bit more clearly today...was pretty down yesterday.

he starts on Vetmedin tonight and then we wait and see. I told my husband last night that I will not put Badger on diuretics...if he gets to the point he needs them, then I will have him put to sleep..he has given me 14 years of immeasurable companionship and loyalty and I want him to go while he still has quality of life and not when he is some poor shadow of my dog constantly needing to pee all the time....sorry I just have really strong feelings about not allowing him any suffering after the love he has given me all these years.

the vet texted me an hour ago and said Badger will feel a lot better when the meds start, as his heart is under significant strain, so he is having his first half tablet at 4pm today.

Just going to take it a day at a time and see what happens.

I have to take a rat to the vets to be pts at four twenty, then i am taking Badger to the park and I am going to let him run....I can't wrap him in cotton wool and i'm going to let him be the judge of whether he wants to play or not....to be honest if something happens as a result of him having a scamper about then so be it, he will be happy to the end no matter what.
 
You need to do what is right for you and Badger (and I'm very sorry about your rat who needs pts too :( ).

I have to say - the first of our 2 dogs who had congestive heart failure was a beautiful German Shepherd, Sam, who we'd rescued; he was put on diuretics but went downhill fast. It was another 10 years later when our rescue Irish Setter Poppy became ill with the same awful condition and though she went on medication, had Xrays etc etc, we put her to sleep before things got too tough for her.

This was because I couldn't bear to see her suffer and be like poor old Sam was; but I felt bad a couple of weeks later, wondering if I had been too hasty; well I was talking to my vet when I'd taken another dog in for boosters or something and we were talking about Poppy and how I worried that I had taken her to be pts and could she have gone on for a while longer? To which my vet said, "I would rather put an animal to sleep a month early, than a day too late" which did make me feel better; like all of us on here, I've loved all my dogs over the 30 years, and just want to do whatever is best for them.

And we all know our own dogs and what makes them tick. All the best with whatever happens.

Gill
 
wilfred said:
You need to do what is right for you and Badger (and I'm very sorry about your rat who needs pts too :( ).
I have to say - the first of our 2 dogs who had congestive heart failure was a beautiful German Shepherd, Sam, who we'd rescued; he was put on diuretics but went downhill fast. It was another 10 years later when our rescue Irish Setter Poppy became ill with the same awful condition and though she went on medication, had Xrays etc etc, we put her to sleep before things got too tough for her.

This was because I couldn't bear to see her suffer and be like poor old Sam was; but I felt bad a couple of weeks later, wondering if I had been too hasty; well I was talking to my vet when I'd taken another dog in for boosters or something and we were talking about Poppy and how I worried that I had taken her to be pts and could she have gone on for a while longer? To which my vet said, "I would rather put an animal to sleep a month early, than a day too late" which did make me feel better; like all of us on here, I've loved all my dogs over the 30 years, and just want to do whatever is best for them.

And we all know our own dogs and what makes them tick. All the best with whatever happens.

Gill
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Thank you.

Our old boxer dog Watson had leukaemia and we put him to sleep before the vet wanted us to, he wanted us to wait until he went off his food..we did it when the sparkle left his eyes but before he was near off his food....never regretted that decision.

Woody was put to sleep three days too late ( mostly due to not knowing what was actually wrong with him)and I'll regret it until the day I die because he was in awful pain at times during those last couple of days.

It will never happen again.
 
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