Cardiomyopathy

[alimel]

Oh dear, we have had a very stressful day today. Our Rott/mix went in to have his growths removed and the have the area tested where he had skin cancer last year. They had to wake him as they could not stabilize his breathing under anthestia....if that call didn't scare me enough at work today

They kept Mel there all day for tests to see what was wrong...in one of the xrays, his heart looks a little enlarged...the vet wants to do an ulstrasound as he is thinking he may have Cardiomyopathy. He says this is very common in large breeds, especially Dobermans and he thinks Mel is part Dobie.

The only other thing this could be is Ehrlichia - the diseas caused by a tick bite..which would explain the weight loss despite his huge appetite. He has had this before and when we brought Buddy home in April, he was infested with ticks....I am hoping this is all it is as it is easily treated.

I am of course very worried that it is Cardiomyopathy, I started doing research on this today and it has scared me to death! The only symptom he has is heavy breathing and weight loss. I actually put him on a diet last month when I noticed his heavy breathing thinking he was overweight. He has a great appetite and is not lethargic, he seems to have the same energy level..for a 9 yr old.

I could not work today.... I am hoping someone out there has been able to treat their dogs successfully with medication. My vet did not seem overly worried if this is what he has.

[weezyNollie]

Just one thing I wanted to ask.. either you didn't get all the details, or something doesn't make sense. Why did they wake the dog up based on it's respirations? At our hospital we have a ventilator, but if you don't have that you can manually ventilate any dog on an anesthesia machine. Furthermore, how did they come to the conclusion that the respirations was related to the heart? If the animal was under anesthesia, they should have had more monitoring available -- ie, EKG, pulse oximeter. Which would make more sense why they would wake the dog up and then investigate any heart abnormalities?

If I were you, I'd start asking some more questions. It doesn't seem to make sense to me.

If it is cardiomyopathy, I'd go to a cardiologist and have them diagnose it. Heart conditions are the hardest to deal with/treat/live with. But, I'd find out for sure before getting too worked up!

[alimel]

I guess I was too upset and did not get all the details when he was telling me about what had happened. They did take exrays that showed his heart was enlarged and his guess was Cardiomyopathy due to his symptoms and the fact he was part Doberman. (This is common in Dobies)

He has ordered an ultrasound in order to get a better look at his heart to see where we stand from there. Aside from a cancerous melenomia that was removed 6 months ago, he has been very healthy up until now. He has been exercising regularly with me for the past 7 years - we used to jog two miles four days a week.

I have asked to be there while they are performing the ultrasound and I intend on asking many questions.

[EmmaGirl]

If the heart seems to be enlarged...then the proper medical term is Cardiomyopathy...Cardio=heart, Myopathy= malfunctioning/enlargement). But it's a vague diagnosis in that what the cause may be, MAYBE several different things. Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy indicateds that the enlargement of the heart is unknown. In your OP, you stated that the heart appeared a little enlarged. Well, this could be a congenital thing (he was born with it), or it could be an age aquired (still Idiopathic condition aka unknown), or from some outside source.

Resps. should never require 'waking up the patient' as they can be controlled while under anesthesia.

Please let us know what the Ultrasound shows.

Good luck and best wishes,
EG