My dog with heart failure has a bloated stomach & trouble breathing. Help!

Steroids currently are not contraindicated for dogs with congestive heart failure; although there are claims that if used in cats it can lead to CHF, but even the data so far does not confirm this to be absolutely true for them either. The only concern here would be if it depressed your pets immune system. If the amount of steroids given was < 0.5-1mg/kg BID, then chances are it won't affect your pets immune system or cause immune suppression, but instead will mainly act as an anti-inflammatory on the body.

If your pet has a bloated stomach and trouble breathing, then these could be a direct result of your pets congestive heart failure condition, especially if Sheba has both right and left sided heart failure. Right sided heart failure will lead to a congested liver which then causes ascites (fluid build-up in the abdomen that shows up as a bloated abdomen). Left sided heart failure will lead to congestion in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

Typically congestive heart failure to this degree is managed by the following:

1) X-rays of the chest and abdomen

2) Removal of fluid in the abdomen (if present)

3) Furosemide- diuretic that helps to pull fluid off the lungs

4) Heart medication- Enalapril + Pimobendan are the standard treatments, but there are others that may be needed if your pet has a detected arrhythmia as well.