My dog has DCM. How long will he live & what signs to watch for?

When you are unable to control Chewy’s symptoms with medication then it will probably be time to let him go. It sounds as if he is doing well for now. If he stops wanting to eat, has trouble with minimal exercise, or coughs constantly, these are signs that his disease is not well controlled. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

This could be an upper respiratory infection such as kennel cough , but could also be a sign of heart disease, especially if Chico is an older dog. Another very likely possibility is that Chico has a collapsed trachea. You will need to take Chico to your vet for an exam and x-rays (which will rule out collapsed trachea and lung edema caused by congestive heart failure). Your vet;s exam will also detect any problems with the heart, that may be causing the cough. Please cschedule an appointment with your vet soon.

Poor guy. Coughing a small breed older dog can be caused by several things including: underlying heart disease, chronic bronchitis, tracheal collapse, or even neoplasia. The first step here would be to get Dino Diaz seen by your vet and have chest x-rays done to help narrow down the possibilities here. Once we have a proper diagnosis, then proper treatment can be recommended to hopefully reduce or even completely resolve the cough. In most cases though, the cough can only be reduced, which helps the pet become more comfortable and have a better quality of life. Schedule an appt with your vet soon. I hope that Dino Diaz does well moving forward and that his cough improves. Best of luck and take care.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Dino. Poor boy. In a dog his age, this could be caused by something serious like heart disease. Heart disease can be common in senior dogs. I'd have him seen by a vet for this cough, and recommend getting a physical exam, a geriatric blood panel, urinalysis, and possibly chest x-ray done. If he does have heart disease, it cannot be cured but the symptoms can be managed with medication. Give his vet a call to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!

Poor Tiny! Based on the signs you are describing (panting, coughing, and acting "off" recently), I would definitely be concerned that his heart disease may be getting worse, which may require changes in his medication doses. By law, the experts at Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach are not allowed to give any recommendations regarding dosages for any medication, since this requires a physical exam and a VCPR (veterinarian-client-patient relationship). I would suggest talking to the vet who is currently treating Tiny's CHF and who originally prescribed the medications to see what he/she would recommend - it would be best to do this today, or take Tiny back to the vet for an exam this afternoon, since worsening CHF can be life-threatening without prompt treatment.

Poor guy. The coughing is mainly due to fluid bulid up in the lungs. If the coughing has not improved then ask you vet if adjustments can be made to his current medications, in particulra the Libeo (Furosemide), which is designed to pull fluid off the lungs, reducing the cough. He is on all the medications currently recommended for heart failure dogs, so the best thing to do is increase his medications and perhaps get him on a cardiac prescription diet (i.e. Hill's Science Diet H/D). Also understand that heart medication is not curing the disease, it is merely managing it to buy your pet more time. Unfortuantely the medication may reach a point where it is no longer effective when the disease has progressed too far. I do hope that we have not reached that point yet, and perhaps can still make adjustments in Kenzo's medications to help manage his heart disease for a while longer. Here is more information on heart disease --> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8501760 Best of luck moving forward with Kenzo and managing his heart disease. Take care.

Sorry to hear about Dollar's recent diagnosis. In general, DCM is a terminal disease. The goal of treatment is to slow it's progression and help with the symptoms. Some breeds are much more prone to a quick and devastating disease process while others progress more slowly. The Dobermann Pinscher is the poster child for this condition, and as a result, often succumbs to it rather quickly. Labradors are not known to carry this condition very often and to my knowledge, have no genetic predisposition for it. However speaking with a board certified cardiologist about this might shed some more light on the issue in terms of recent studies, particularly breed specific ones. If Dollar is not already on medications, I would encourage you to speak with you vet or consult with the cardiologist about getting him started on several right away. Typically, there are at least two or three medications to consider in order to stem the tide. Prognosis will be determined based on serialized ultrasounds of the heart to determine the disease's progression. I have seen some animals live weeks, while others can live well over a year. Unfortunately, one of the symptoms of this condition is sudden death, so managing the disease as best as possible is the best way to avoid this. Hope this helps, and once again, I'm sorry about the diagnosis.