Why is my senior dog coughing and breathing heavily with an enlarged heart?

Question

I have a 10 YO dixie. He's on phenobarbitol and levothyroxine. Hes been on Purina Neuro Care food for about 5 months. About a week ago he started breathing heavily and coughing and hacking. We took to our vet today after it SEEMED to improve but then return yesterday. Xrays show a slightly enlarged heart but normal lungs and no fluids anywhere. They took blood samples for tests and sent their xrays to specialists but we haven't heard back. Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund | Male | neutered | 10 years and 9 months old | 18 lbs

Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

If the signs persist, this can definitively be related to an underlying heart problem (very commonly mitral valve disease is responsible for it) I would recommend to call your veterinarian to have the definitive verdict on the tests performed, and possibly have a heart scan (ultrasound) performed to identify specifically underlying cause of heart problem and decide appropriate treatment. Respiratory problems can possibly cause similar signs but usually a physical examination and chest x rays are sufficient to rule them out. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Why is my senior dog coughing and breathing heavily with an enlarged heart?

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