My senior dog with CHF has new breathing issues. Is it lung cancer?

Question

My 10 yr old miniature schnauzer was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, 11/2017. It was a sudden onset of symptoms. Fluid bloat outside of but not in lungs, several x-rays. On enap, veterinary, lasix, breathing much improved. Sudden worsening of breathing strain and excess fluid bloat 6/8/18, vet x-rays show fluid outside of lungs, and cloudiness inside and now say possibly lung cancer tumors. Still has breathing strain with double lasix. Would tumors show in both lungs within 6 months? Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Schnauzer | Female | 10 years and 1 month old | 11 lbs

Destini R. Holloway, DVM · Accepted Answer

Poor girl. : ( Tumor can develop at any rate in pets so yes 6 months is plenty of time for a tumor to develop and show up. However, if there is a lot of fluid there, a tumor may not be readily visible on an x-ray. A CT or MRI scan is more sensitive to picking up small tumors or tumors that are obscured by fluid. A lung tumor or advancement of her heart condition are two likely possibilities to these symptoms. We have to keep in mind that heart disease can't be cured but only managed to a certain point with medication. It is possible that these symptoms are simply an indication that the heart condition may have surpassed medical management capabilities. If you are however still looking for options and cannot commit to advanced imaging (CT, MRI scan), then you can inquire with your vet about possibly increaseing China's medications. Lasix has a wide range of therapeutic index so it may be able to be increased. Another heart medication called Pimobendan also can be added to her treatment regimen. I am not sure if you meant to include this with your list of medications, b/c one of the medications seems to have been autocorrected to say "veterinary". Best of luck with your pet China and I hope that you can get her stabilized soon! Take care.

My senior dog with CHF has new breathing issues. Is it lung cancer?

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