My dog has severe heart murmur. How to care for her when I'm away?

Question

Hallo my 9yr old Maltese was diagnosed with a heart murmur Nov 1st VET diagnosed kennel cough & gave anti-biotic & cough meds, but within a week she was really bad, took her back & was diagnosed with heart, she seems to be having good days, but when it bad it is really bad. She coughed whole night & that hair ball like gag, laboured breathing, wet my bed, the 1st time ever & I leaving for UAE for 3 mnts , son will take care of her but works 8-5, how will it affect as she is she is like a baby? Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Female | spayed | 8 years and 11 months old | 6 lbs

C. Rathjens, DVM · Accepted Answer

It sounds like Cuddlez may need some additional treatment to get her heart disease under control. I would recommend taking her back to the vet and telling them what you just told us. Also, before that appointment, count how often she is breathing a minute while resting or sleeping -- that number should be less than 20-30 breaths per minute. Let your vet know if it's more. In terms of you being away, if Cuddlez is very stressed was separated from you, that could make things worse with her disease because stress causes increase blood pressure, which makes the heart work harder. But is she just as willing to rest and relax when you aren't there, the change won't be significant. I would recommend leaving your son with detailed instructions about what to do with Cuddlez starts to go downhill. Your vet can talk to you about parameters that would indicate poor quality of life. It's possible she may need to be put to sleep while you're gone -- I hope not --- but it's important to prepare for the worst.

My dog has severe heart murmur. How to care for her when I'm away?

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