Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Really hoping that you can find something to help Holly soon. Somehow there's really nothing sadder than a poorly dog. Thinking about you.
Holly
- Thread starter Hollysdad
- Start date
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Paw
and lambie power to you all
Lisa
Moderator
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
Poor Holly. All this up and down must be so hard on you all!
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Ah Phil I'm so sorry that you and Ruth are riding this rollercoaster with sweet Holly. It really is rough luck, I hope the solution to keeping her comfortable soon can be found.
Keep the faith Phil. There will be medication that helps Holly, I am sure. For now, I love that you are taking her out on little jaunts to keep her (and your) spirits up 
- Location
- Monmouthshire, Wales
Thank you all for you support. Our aim at the moment is to maintain Holly's quality of life. We've had to accept a huge change to her life, and ours, and are converging on a new normal. Life is now about shorter but more interesting walks (sniffs and puddles are her thing) and non-aerobic games. She seems to want more cuddles these days, and suffers a bit of separation anxiety if one of us is away. We're working on that.
The last big problem seems to be getting her breathing under control as its very erratic. Solving that will get us all to a better place for whetever time she has left.
She has good days and bad days, so we make the most of the good ones and take her to her favourite places. Bad ones require more snuggles and very gentle play.
The last big problem seems to be getting her breathing under control as its very erratic. Solving that will get us all to a better place for whetever time she has left.
She has good days and bad days, so we make the most of the good ones and take her to her favourite places. Bad ones require more snuggles and very gentle play.
- Location
- Welsh borders, near Chepstow
Oh Phil! I do feel for you and Ruth and of course Holly. I do hope that you can get her breathing under control. You are clearly doing everything you possibly can for her. Making the best of her good days is a very good plan.
- Location
- Monmouthshire, Wales
What a roller-coaster week.
Holly’s breathing has been all over the place, but today its been a bit more stable. An emergency vet visit was necessary on Tuesday as her breathing was fast and laboured, and she was getting disinterested in just about everything. X-ray and ultrasound showed her heart continuing to enlarge and signs of fluid build-up on her lungs.
We put her back onto the original diuretics which made her incontinent as these seemed to work, and her breathing improved. She also had to wear a doggy diaper, which she tolerated. A second vet visit changed the diuretic regime and the new plan has seen a gradual improvement over the last 48 hours. This morning she even managed a very gentle 40 minute walk without panting.
We had a good talk with the vet. Holly’s life expectancy depends on how much we can stabilise her breathing, and how well we can maintain heart function. After this crisis week she seems to be a bit more comfortable and we hope that the new diuretic regime can keep her at that level for a while.
I really can’t speak highly enough of Mike, our vet.
Holly’s breathing has been all over the place, but today its been a bit more stable. An emergency vet visit was necessary on Tuesday as her breathing was fast and laboured, and she was getting disinterested in just about everything. X-ray and ultrasound showed her heart continuing to enlarge and signs of fluid build-up on her lungs.
We put her back onto the original diuretics which made her incontinent as these seemed to work, and her breathing improved. She also had to wear a doggy diaper, which she tolerated. A second vet visit changed the diuretic regime and the new plan has seen a gradual improvement over the last 48 hours. This morning she even managed a very gentle 40 minute walk without panting.
We had a good talk with the vet. Holly’s life expectancy depends on how much we can stabilise her breathing, and how well we can maintain heart function. After this crisis week she seems to be a bit more comfortable and we hope that the new diuretic regime can keep her at that level for a while.
I really can’t speak highly enough of Mike, our vet.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Atemas
UK Tour Guide
- Location
- North Cambridgeshire
That is so good to have such a good vet. What a rollercoaster of a week - thinking of you all too
That’s good. I hope the improvement continues.
- Location
- Cornwall , UK
Hoping this improvement lasts for dear Holly xx
- Location
- Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
I am glad she is improving with her breathing. I used to be a heartfaillure nurse in the humane medicine. Is it possible she is getting medication for her heart to support it? I am thinking of digitalis or bèta blocker?
Is she anemic? Have they tested her on this?
Is she anemic? Have they tested her on this?
- Location
- Monmouthshire, Wales
Holly is currently on two heart drugs to strengthen the heart muscles and conductivity, the letter helping to counter the scarring. Two other drugs are to help with breathing, one being a diuretic to reduce the amount of retained fluids. She’s on an antibiotic to kill off residual infections, but this is being phased out next week.
She's not anaemic. Prior to this she was in good health and very fit, having sailed through her checkup and done 25 miles of coast path with Ruth and me.
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I hope dear Holly continues to improve
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
I'm so glad to hear that Holly is improving and most importantly that she's more comfortable. A forty minute walk is not bad at all for a dog who has been so poorly!
I do really feel for you though, it's so distressing to see our dogs struggling and it must have been a very difficult week for you . In my thoughts.
I do really feel for you though, it's so distressing to see our dogs struggling and it must have been a very difficult week for you . In my thoughts.
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
You both must be so worried.
Hoping Holly continues to improved to a workable baseline.
Being nosy about these things, can I ask you the names of the drugs she is on?
Hoping Holly continues to improved to a workable baseline.
Being nosy about these things, can I ask you the names of the drugs she is on?
- Location
- Monmouthshire, Wales
She’s on Lanoxin and Vetmedin for her heart.
Prilactone is the current diuretic as she seems very sensitive to Furesomide. We keep the latter in reserve for emergencies. She also gets Fortekor as it helps the heart and has some diuretic properties; we introduced it for the diuretic.
Her current antibiotic is Baytrill. We changed AB when she had a slight relapse after coming off the first one. The thought was that some other infection might be lingering. She comes off AB next week.
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Thanks Phil, speaking my language with that. Although Google helped.
She is on a good mixture of all the things we would use in human heart failure.
I guess she may feel a little more like herself when the antibiotics stop, too.
Hang on in there Holly
- Location
- Monmouthshire, Wales
After a tough couple of months we're starting to see things stabilise. The new pill regime seems to have stopped the decline and even helped her to rally a little. Over the last week Holly has been able to walk for about 40 minutes without getting breathless, and we've even seen her trotting instead of just plodding & sniffing. She's also been a bit more playful, and has got back into the habit of scattering toys all over the place until we agree to play with her. Her appetite remains typically Labrador.
The heart is beating more strongly and steadily at a high rate (around 100-110). Breathing is much less laboured and varying between 30-45 at rest. Her condition is still 'severe' but she's stable and much happier than she has been for weeks.
At the vet today we agreed to keep the current pill regime going and review in a month's time. We know that this is not a cure, but hope that Holly can have some months of normality.
After the vets we took her to the woods and so she could get a bit muddy. She enjoyed that.
The heart is beating more strongly and steadily at a high rate (around 100-110). Breathing is much less laboured and varying between 30-45 at rest. Her condition is still 'severe' but she's stable and much happier than she has been for weeks.
At the vet today we agreed to keep the current pill regime going and review in a month's time. We know that this is not a cure, but hope that Holly can have some months of normality.
After the vets we took her to the woods and so she could get a bit muddy. She enjoyed that.