Can congestive heart failure in pets truly come out of nowhere?

I'm sorry your dog isn't doing well! Please keep in mind that I can't say anything for certain without seeing your dog in person, so my opinion comes from my experience. Dogs unfortunately can be very stoic about illness, and oftentimes they are very ill before showing any signs at all. It certainly is possible that your dog has been in heart failure for a while, and it's taken time for signs of it to show. As I said before, dogs can be very ill before showing symptoms and that does frequently happen in dogs with heart failure. Their heart will be failing, and it's only picked up when they suddenly develop exercise intolerance, coughing, or fainting when exercising. If you do feel the vet is wrong, then I'd recommend taking him into another vet for a second opinion. I hope this helps you!

First off, I'm so very sorry you lost Lucky so suddenly! How horrible for you, and please accept my condolences for your loss. Yes, it certainly is possible that she was suffering from late stage CHF causing the symptoms you saw when you came home. CHF causes syncope, which is when a dog suddenly passes out due to lack to blood to the brain. Unfortunately without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain, but it is possible. I hope you are doing ok after the loss of your dog, and I hope this helps you!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! When we listen to a patient with a stethoscope to diagnose heart disease / heart failure, we are listening for multiple things. Does the dog have an audible heart murmur and if so, is there evidence of congestive heart failure (CHF). We listen for evidence of fluid in the lungs that would indicate heart failure. Just the presence of a heart murmur does not indicate heart failure. X-rays and echocardiography also aid in the diagnosis of CHF. So yes, CHF can be diagnosed with the stethoscope but some cases require further testing. BNP testing can also aid in the diagnosis. I hope this helps!

I am sorry for your loss. Stage 5 congestive heart failure is an advance stage where the patient is suffering from a leaky heart value but also permanent changes in the heart. Depending on right sided verse left sided heart failure the patient will also have fluid accumulate in the lungs/chest cavity or abdominal cavity. Typically at this point medications do not help very much in controlling the heart function and the patients have trouble breathing.

Congestive heart failure and pneumonia can certainly have very similar symptoms in dogs - breathing hard, coughing, laying around more than normal, etc. Chest x-rays and blood work would normally help to determine which of these problems your dog has, as results of these tests would be different in congestive heart failure vs. pneumonia. If you have a more specific question about your dog's particular situation, feel free to post again - we would be happy to try and help.

For now there is very little you can do except start the medication prescribed and wait for them to work. Your dog should start feeling a lot better within the next few days with less fluid in his lungs and better cardiac function. You can start feeding a special diet for dogs with congestive heart failure, such as Hills Prescription h/d. Such diets typically have restricted sodium levels to limit fluid retention, added taurine and L-carnitine, and amino acids that may help support heart function, added B-vitamins and magnesium. Here is some good information: http://www.vermontveterinarycardiology.com/index.php/for-clients/feeding-the-cardiac-patient

I would always be concerned about the development of a cough in an older dog. Firstly it could be due to an infection, chest infections can be serious. It could be an inflammatory conditiion such as bronchitis or asthma. Of course it could be a heart issue like you say and there is the possibility of masses also. The best plan would be to go to the vet for sn examination, an xray may be needed to get a diagnosis.