Is bladder stone surgery risky for an old dog with a bad heart?

It would be more dangerous to let Roma live with the stones. Leaving them in her will cause irritation and damage to the bladder lining, leading to bleeding. The stones will also inflame and irritate the bladder walls causing swelling and pain. There is also the potential that the stones could cause an obstruction of the urethra which fatal without treatment. Old age isn't a reason to not do surgery, and as long as she is otherwise healthy, I would recommend having these stones removed from Roma's bladder.

If you are worried about this heart the best test to have done before surgery would be an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) as that will tell you how the heart is actually functioning and if it can pump blood efficiently. That is what I would have done if I was in your position. Unfortunately, you can do all the testing in the world and there is no guarantee that he will survive the surgery. That is just the nature of a living being. The same happens with people. You can take every precaution and they may still not survive. That being said, it is very rare for a "healthy" animal to not survive a routine/elective surgery. Does it happen, yes; is it likely, no. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I don't blame you for being concerned! You're right that congestive heart failure does increase the risk associated with anesthetic procedures, so we want to be very cautious about going forward with surgery in dogs who have this problem. I would recommend sitting down with your veterinarian to discuss the pros and cons of doing the neuter surgery in Wesley's case. In particular, you may want to ask about his life expectancy with congestive heart failure, and whether it's likely that the testicular tumor will progress enough to cause any serious problems before that. If the tumor appears to be slow-growing and is not currently bothering him, it may be reasonable to leave it alone rather than take the risk of surgery.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Generally, surgery in small and young patients can be safe if done properly. I think you could consider perhaps evaluation by a board certified surgeon in your area as they generally have an experienced team able to perform more complicated procedures in more delicate patients. Good luck with your precious pup!

Bruce would need a complete physical exam and lab work done prior to any anesthetic procedure to make sure he is healthy and stable enough for surgery. An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) may be recommended to assess cardiac architecture and function. Once this is completed, your veterinarian can determine if surgery is possible. In the meantime, place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further scratching. Antibiotics may be indicated for infection. Your veterinarian can dispense some after an exam.

Your veterinarian will have the best information about the safety of anesthesia given her condition. I would ask them how much the heart condition will increase the risk of anesthesia and what is the expected benefit of the surgery given the stage of the cancer? If the cancer is stage 4, then the prognosis may be very bad (makes the surgery less necessary); compared with a stage 1 (where it would be very beneficial to remove the tumors, before they spread). It comes down to ensuring that you are well-informed of the risks and expected benefits. Without knowing all of the details it's really difficult for me to say. Generally, heart conditions tend to not be that scary under anesthesia and may actually reduce the stress on the heart during anesthesia. I've anesthetized many heart patients and have found that the anesthesia tends to go very smoothly. However, we do tend to use select drugs and have an increased alertness to the activity of the heart when we anesthetize them. Sorry to see that Chica is having these problems. I'm sure this has been very difficult for you. I hope I was able to help answer your questions.

Poor Jimmy! The main concern in a male dog with bladder stones is that they could become lodged in the urethra, causing a urinary obstruction which is a life-threatening emergency condition. In many cases, this will not occur, but it is a big risk to take. If Jimmy has struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) crystals in his urine, odds are good that his bladder stones are also struvites. This type of stone can sometimes be dissolved with a prescription based diet. It can take many months for these stones to dissolve, but the diet change does not dissolve the stones for all dogs. If Jimmy has other forms of crystals in his urine, surgery is the only option. Surgery is nearly always the best (and only) option for managing bladder stones. I understand your financial concerns, but fortunately there are some resources available to help. Care Credit (carecredit.com) can provide financing options. There are also many non-profit organizations that provide financial assistance for veterinary care (redrover.org, humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962, bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets, lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/, https://getyourpet.com). I hope this helps!