Please Help! Veterinary Advice Desperately Needed. - Page 2

Sunsilver.....I was told that some heart defects do not show up as puppies...ie ..wks old.
Just as some puppies with minor murmers,   can easily & commonly grow out of them.
I am only stating something that was told to me by a Cardiac Specialist........I'm just passing it along.
Robin

That's true, they can grow out of it, but if it's a REALLY loud murmur, indicating a serious hole in the heart, or a valve problem, they are not likely to grow out of it. 

And you're right, conditons like cardiomegaly can't be detected in pups, but only show up when the dog has reached its full growth.

Also, as I said above, an infection could be attacking the valves of the heart itself. The vet was also wise to check for damage due to heartworm.

I would take her to another Vet, see if your current Vet will give you Lasix and Vet Medin to help her until you get to another Vet. These meds help with the fliud and the heart. and keep her on meds for the infection.
Just a thought.
Robin

I found your post, most informative.......I saved the articles to my personal file.
ALWAYS...wanting to learn more!
Robin

Definitely get another vet's opinion and options, then choose what you think will be best for the dog depending on actual illness or disease.

I agree that a trip to another vet is in order........none of us know what is trully wrong with this dog..
I think the articles posted are interesting......I plan on bringing them along, next time I see Dr.Carmichael (cardiologist).
I would love to learn more.....

Jenni, to me (I'm a registered nurse, and also worked briefly as a vet's assistant) the vet's actions all fit neatly with the diagnosis. Why did he hit on the liver from the very start? Because it would have been enlarged. Obviously, he must have noticed some swelling or puffiness in the dog's legs, so he checked the kidneys too.  And he must have noticed something wrong with the heart, or he wouldn't have suggested heartworm as a possible cause.

The one bit that doesn't fit is that the liver function test was normal. That's a bit of a puzzler, but given this is a tropical country with limited medical facilities, it's possible the blood sample was mishandled (got too warm, was delayed in transit, etc.) I've heard of this happening even in North America, because veterinary samples aren't always treated with the same urgency as human samples.

The increase white cell count can be due to a lot of things other than infection, though I'm not surprised the vet decided to treat the dog with antibiotics.

The real tipoff is the fluid in the abdomen. The dog's not having any gastric troubles other than lack of appetite, so it's extremely doubtful we're dealing with a blockage, perforation or other intestinal problem. Ascities is about the only thing that fits.

But then again, I'm a people nurse, not an animal nurse, so I could be wrong...  Though one of the first things I discovered when working for the vet was about 90% of the diseases, drugs, treatments, etc. were the same, especially for small animals.

Sunsilver, no no no no no. Not what I mean. That all makes perfect sense!  You're correct from a medical standpoint; that's not what I'm questioning. Just had a bout w/HELLP Syndrome myself a few mos. ago. I totally get the heart/liver tie in.

I didn't understand why he/she was saying that the organs were fine, and then say that this was a result of organs NOT working properly. I would say they're not working properly if her abdomen is filled w/fluid, but then why are the liver and kidney function tests totally normal? That's what I don't get. My own liver enzymes were in the 900s, platelets below 30. Certainly NOT fine. This is where I'm confused, unless, as you suggest, possibly the results were wrong.

Regardless, this dog needs to be somewhere other than home!!!

Jenni, you definitely have some good points there...

especially the last one!   This dog needs help NOW!