[CorkyMax]

I took Max (paxer) to get an x-ray of his heart yesterday as I was afraid he might have the same problem as Corky--enlarged heart due to dilated cardiomyopathy. And he does but it is just starting to enlarge. He is on no meds as yet and doesn't have the cough that alerted me to something wrong with Corky. So far the vet just said to keep him on low salt.
I have to try and get some weight off of him too. (Vet didn't tell me this--I just know it.) He could lose about 12-15 lbs. I am starting him on the taurine too.
I am trying to get his 5th rabies shot waived. Chances of that are next to zero! The vet is willing to write out a letter on doing this (which is required in able to waive it, But even though the law here in the state of Wisconsin okays this --It seems that the city/town/little burg--Which this is!! has the upper hand and gets to decide this fate! It really pi*ses me off that someone who has no idea or care for that matter about my dog is the one who decides his fate and I can do nothing about it. This appears to be in the decision of the 'village' lawyer and as the village clerk (THis is a village of about 400 people) stated to me when I phoned her that she had no say in the matter and she would have to get in touch with this lawyer---and that this lawyer is prob. going to say no because they don't want to worry about legal suites if somebody gets bitten---SO you know she is going to say no!!
I don't even know why it is of any good for the state to okay it because it's going to never happen. In my area and prob. far beyond--My vet has never had this happen before and of the 3 other places I talked to about this--have never seen it asked before either! So the way I see it---Sure looks good --the waiver --on paper for the state of Wi. but prob. know nobody is going to let it happen!! Totally disgusting!!! Haven't gotten the word yet--phoned a couple days ago---Got to have an answer before end of this month when I have to get Max's license renewed!

[Lara's mom]

I'm so very sorry to hear that Max has the same ailment as Corky, albeit in the beginning stages. I don't know if the service is available anywhere around you but, if so, it might be a good idea to take Max to a cardiology expert. Since his condition has been caught early, a specialist may be better equipped as to how to keep max's condition from becoming as serious as Corky's. I'll keep all you you in my thoughts and prayers.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

I'm so very sorry to hear that Max has the same ailment as Corky, albeit in the beginning stages. I don't know if the service is available anywhere around you but, if so, it might be a good idea to take Max to a cardiology expert. Since his condition has been caught early, a specialist may be better equipped as to how to keep max's condition from becoming as serious as Corky's. I'll keep all you you in my thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for the kind words. There isn't a cardiology expert close to me--maybe Madison but it is pretty much out of the question anyway for several reasons --main one being expense. I am not a 'professional'/expert but think I am doing as much as I can--Pretty much has to be trying to delay it from getting worse by diet and meds. Taurine could be a big aid for my breed of dogs if the lack of it in their system caused this condition and it could even improve the heart if this was indeed the reason this happened. Max's is not very bad at all and I figure he is going to live to his life expectancy--anywhere from a year to 3 years from now, esp. if I feed him right-no salt, better meat, taurine supplements, and keeping up the other supplements/vitamins I already do, etc and getting his weight down. Am hoping Corky makes it too but will be more unlikely with him---but he might if he keeps having the 'attitude' he has and keeps eating. They go down hill fast when they don't want to eat anymore.

[Lara's mom]

Please, don't misunderstand me. I would bet my last dime that both of your dogs are receiving excellent care from a VERY loving mom. It just occurred to me that taking human beings for an example, our family doctors can't possibly be expected to know everything which is why we get referred to various specialists. I absolutely understand that finances are a major concern as well as accessibility to specialized services. It was just an idea I had that I thought you might not have considered with all of the emotional upset, worry and fear that comes when our beloved kids become ill. It was by no means whatsoever meant as a slight!

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Please, don't misunderstand me. I would bet my last dime that both of your dogs are receiving excellent care from a VERY loving mom. It just occurred to me that taking human beings for an example, our family doctors can't possibly be expected to know everything which is why we get referred to various specialists. I absolutely understand that finances are a major concern as well as accessibility to specialized services. It was just an idea I had that I thought you might not have considered with all of the emotional upset, worry and fear that comes when our beloved kids become ill. It was by no means whatsoever meant as a slight!

Hey, I wasn't seeing what you said as anything other than concern and advice! Sorry you might of got that impression! Actually I was hoping you wouldn't see me as a 'know it all!'

[Lara's mom]

Ok. No problem. I know that sometimes I can come on as a little too businesslike.

[Todd]

I'm very sorry to hear about Max. Luckily you caught this in the early stages though. Good on you for taking a proactive approach.

A low sodium diet is obviously a plus. From what I understand you have him on a very healthy diet so I'd just keep that up minus the table scraps. Like you said, loosing some weight can be very beneficial for heart conditions. Also maybe some more exercise would be helpful for cardiovascular health. As you said, he has almost reached his life expectancy and it is only in its early stages so it's probably not going to shorten his life for the most part anyway. Again, I am very sorry and I hope everything turns out ok.

[Lara's mom]

I can't even imagine what you must be going through having two ill little ones. I don't think I could be as brave about it as you've been. I would be a complete mess!

As it is, even though she is still healthy apart from the liver enzyme thing, Bailey turned 13 recently and it sometimes feels like we're living on borrowed time and just "waiting for the shoe to drop." Every day with her has become even more precious because we don't know how many more of them we will have.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Todd

I'm very sorry to hear about Max. Luckily you caught this in the early stages though. Good on you for taking a proactive approach.

A low sodium diet is obviously a plus. From what I understand you have him on a very healthy diet so I'd just keep that up minus the table scraps. Like you said, loosing some weight can be very beneficial for heart conditions. Also maybe some more exercise would be helpful for cardiovascular health. As you said, he has almost reached his life expectancy and it is only in its early stages so it's probably not going to shorten his life for the most part anyway. Again, I am very sorry and I hope everything turns out ok.

Thanks for the kind words. It is so hard to get him to lose weight--esp. now when I want to make sure he gets plenty of red meat (beef) and you can't not let them have some fat either. He had lost weight before when I fed a lot of green beans/tomatoes, etc and not so much high calorie meat but his condition is now such that he needs the red meat. If he was not such a couch potato--although he has been going outside (doggie door/back yard) a little more the past couple days---snow has melted and he is out there 'snooping around, lol! I have a slipped vertebra and don't walk very well (feels like everything 'locks up' after I start walking very far--making it even harder to move)--but I guess I'll have to try walking him when it gets a little nicer out as I think the main key is to get him exercised well. He is a good dog for walking on a leash--You would think he had been taught how but he does it right naturally. Corky is another story---He'd have my back really messed up in about 5 mins. And there is where another problem comes in--Lol, I have a hard time getting Max out the door without Corky trying to 'worm' his way out as soon as I open the door! And I feel guilty not walking Corky but I just can't! And of course he is having a fit being left behind! And no--training is out of the question as is anything else that requires to be paid for! When it gets 'fit' outside--Will have to be out in the back yard with them more---Max esp. loves it when I go out there with him.

About their life expectency----I have been looking for more info on that for their breed(s) and it all depends on where you look.--Some places say 10-12 years and others say up to 14! I of course would rather believe the 14 but the fact is the range is starting at 10-11 yrs either way. Max is going to be 11 in less than 3 wks--April 1st and Corky will be 12 on June 13. Wish they were about 2-4 yrs old (and no heart condition!) but I have had the enjoyment of their company for a long time so I should be grateful for that at least! And if they have to leave me soon--It might just be because of 'old age' with no suffering from the disease and hopefully a peaceful death where there is no need for me to have to put them down. As of right now--to see them--you would never know they were 'sick' except Corky may cough once in awhile. He still acts the same otherwise and does not have shortness of breath and still eats like a horse and can run with no apparent exertion. Max has always been sort of lazy so he doesn't exert much anyhow--except when I have come back home and he greets me with a soft toy stuffed in his mouth and his butt wiggling a mile a minute!:mrgreen:

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

I can't even imagine what you must be going through having two ill little ones. I don't think I could be as brave about it as you've been. I would be a complete mess!

As it is, even though she is still healthy apart from the liver enzyme thing, Bailey turned 13 recently and it sometimes feels like we're living on borrowed time and just "waiting for the shoe to drop." Every day with her has become even more precious because we don't know how many more of them we will have.

Not sure I am that brave. I have a tendency to not want to face the reality--so I try to ignore it as much as I can. Oh, I have my moments when things rush in and I can't sometimes. One thing is for sure--They both are getting even more attention now and get a lot of hugs (and kisses) and I talk to them more--even, lol, when my back is pretty much to them when I can't tear myself away from this computer. And they will come over while I am on it and 'ask' for attention and they get it--Max loves to be 'scratched' under his chin/neck.--and Corky will make sure I pet him a lot. And yes, I know what you mean by every day being more precious. As I said I have a hard time facing reality--and it surely isn't a good thing but the way this is ---I will have time to slowly assimilate that it is going to happen whether I want to ignore it or not and it won't be a 'killer shock when it does happen and I will have my wits about me and able to navigate. I can be more prepared and know what I have to do. But it will hit me hard I know and just writing about it now puts a big lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. Dogs sure have a way of getting into your heart!

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

Thanks for the kind words. It is so hard to get him to lose weight--esp. now when I want to make sure he gets plenty of red meat (beef) and you can't not let them have some fat either. He had lost weight before when I fed a lot of green beans/tomatoes, etc and not so much high calorie meat but his condition is now such that he needs the red meat. If he was not such a couch potato--although he has been going outside (doggie door/back yard) a little more the past couple days---snow has melted and he is out there 'snooping around, lol! I have a slipped vertebra and don't walk very well (feels like everything 'locks up' after I start walking very far--making it even harder to move)--but I guess I'll have to try walking him when it gets a little nicer out as I think the main key is to get him exercised well. He is a good dog for walking on a leash--You would think he had been taught how but he does it right naturally. Corky is another story---He'd have my back really messed up in about 5 mins. And there is where another problem comes in--Lol, I have a hard time getting Max out the door without Corky trying to 'worm' his way out as soon as I open the door! And I feel guilty not walking Corky but I just can't! And of course he is having a fit being left behind! And no--training is out of the question as is anything else that requires to be paid for! When it gets 'fit' outside--Will have to be out in the back yard with them more---Max esp. loves it when I go out there with him.

About their life expectency----I have been looking for more info on that for their breed(s) and it all depends on where you look.--Some places say 10-12 years and others say up to 14! I of course would rather believe the 14 but the fact is the range is starting at 10-11 yrs either way. Max is going to be 11 in less than 3 wks--April 1st and Corky will be 12 on June 13. Wish they were about 2-4 yrs old (and no heart condition!) but I have had the enjoyment of their company for a long time so I should be grateful for that at least! And if they have to leave me soon--It might just be because of 'old age' with no suffering from the disease and hopefully a peaceful death where there is no need for me to have to put them down. As of right now--to see them--you would never know they were 'sick' except Corky may cough once in awhile. He still acts the same otherwise and does not have shortness of breath and still eats like a horse and can run with no apparent exertion. Max has always been sort of lazy so he doesn't exert much anyhow--except when I have come back home and he greets me with a soft toy stuffed in his mouth and his butt wiggling a mile a minute!:mrgreen:



Not sure I am that brave. I have a tendency to not want to face the reality--so I try to ignore it as much as I can. Oh, I have my moments when things rush in and I can't sometimes. One thing is for sure--They both are getting even more attention now and get a lot of hugs (and kisses) and I talk to them more--even, lol, when my back is pretty much to them when I can't tear myself away from this computer. And they will come over while I am on it and 'ask' for attention and they get it--Max loves to be 'scratched' under his chin/neck.--and Corky will make sure I pet him a lot. And yes, I know what you mean by every day being more precious. As I said I have a hard time facing reality--and it surely isn't a good thing but the way this is ---I will have time to slowly assimilate that it is going to happen whether I want to ignore it or not and it won't be a 'killer shock when it does happen and I will have my wits about me and able to navigate. I can be more prepared and know what I have to do. But it will hit me hard I know and just writing about it now puts a big lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. Dogs sure have a way of getting into your heart!

If you can't walk him to loose some weight have you ever considering looking into getting a doggie treadmill or just a regular tredmill for him? It probably wouldn't be very difficult to train him to use it. I have seen many dogs do very well with treadmills. They generally tie the leash on it and train the dog to stay.

[CorkyMax]

Quote/Todd: If you can't walk him to loose some weight have you ever considering looking into getting a doggie treadmill or just a regular tredmill for him? It probably wouldn't be very difficult to train him to use it. I have seen many dogs do very well with treadmills. They generally tie the leash on it and train the dog to stay.

Now that is an idea. I have a treadmill in my bedroom but the bedroom is off limits to my dogs. I have a little house so not much room---might have to do some rearranging but it might be worth a shot. Thanks for the idea!

[Lara's mom]

I'm not sure I understand the distinction. If walking him isn't advisable because of his heart, what difference will a treadmill make?

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

I'm not sure I understand the distinction. If walking him isn't advisable because of his heart, what difference will a treadmill make?

It isn't the reason I wasn't walking Max. I wasn't walking him because it is hard for me to walk. I want to get him moving to try and get some weight off of him--so a treadmill might be a good thing to try for him to get the exercise he needs to lose weight. It prob. wouldn't be a good idea to walk Corky though because of his heart---He is a strong 'puller' and will keep pulling even when the collar is 'choking' him and he starts coughing. He doesn't need to lose weight so best not to walk him at all--His heart is very enlarged and flabby so it would prob. do more harm than good in his case! There isn't much you can do to fix Corky's heart but Max's heart is not near Corky's condition and some exercise might help strengthen his although that was not why I want to get him moving. (Max's heart has not thinned and weakened --It is just noticeable that the start of this condition is there.
His is graded in between a size 10 and a half to an 11 with a size 10-10 and a half as normal. Corky's is graded a size 15! It is a measurement of the heart done crosswise--like an x.--measuring the distance of both the lines and adding them together---Hope I am telling that right! I have pictures of their x-rays to put on my computer----You should see the difference in the 2--terrible! Hope that explains things.

[Todd]

Is your treadmill working? If not I'm sure you could get a dirt cheap one on craigslist. Would be a great way to keep them both active.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Todd

Is your treadmill working? If not I'm sure you could get a dirt cheap one on craigslist. Would be a great way to keep them both active.

Yeh, it works. Don't think it would be a good idea for Corky--I don't want any stress put on his heart at all---as bad as it is--He could go into heart failure!

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

Yeh, it works. Don't think it would be a good idea for Corky--I don't want any stress put on his heart at all---as bad as it is--He could go into heart failure!

Well if done slowly and in moderation I'd think it would be beneficial to the heart. You obviously don't want to get the heart rate up too high, however a little walking (not jogging just moderate walking) for a few 15 minute intervals throughout the day would probably be fine and help strengthen her heart. Just in moderation until building up more stamina.

[Yogi]

In Corky's case this would not be advisable. The heart is enlarged to the point that normal expansion is putting pressure that causes discomfort. In addition to the fluid build up around the heart reducing even more the ability for the heart to expand. Even in moderation, exercise increases the heart rate and expansion area. With little to no room for the heart to expand increases the pressure and causes the dog to start coughing. In Max's case, moderate exercise would be ok based on the measurements you got from the vet. But keeping in mind that this is an old dog not a young overweight one, exercise in his condition should be limited and heavily monitored. What did the vet say with regards to Max losing weight and exercise. Just like people, it is always a good idea to consult with the doctor before engaging in a diet and weight loss program. Just to be safe.

[CorkyMax]

Yogi/quote: What did the vet say with regards to Max losing weight and exercise. Just like people, it is always a good idea to consult with the doctor before engaging in a diet and weight loss program. Just to be safe.

Actually he never offered any advice--But you are right, I should ask him--although it would definitely help for Max to lose about 18#--That is a lot for a dog that should weigh about 25-30#! I know it would not be good for him to lose it too fast but not much worry there. Should lose about a # or little less a week! Exercise would not be strenuous--Just walking (or treadmill--same thing). But I will call him next week to make sure.

[Todd]

My Uncle actually had an enlarged heart and his doc. recommended cardiovascular exercise as part of his treatment plan. I think he ended up having open heart surgery as well. As long as the exercise is walking in moderation I still don't see how it wouldn't help. I agree with contacting the vet first though. Being overweight makes things worse and puts more stress on the heart.

I just did a bit of research and it sounds like moderate non competitive exercise is good for patients with this disorder, however vigiorous exercise can be very harmful and potentially deadly. Very light walkign would be fine. No running or jogging or anything, but something like walking (in this case on a treadmill) is beneficial. Here's what I found online;

Exercise. Your vet will tell you if your dog may exercise or not. Most dogs with cardiomyopathy are encouraged to do non-competitive aerobic exercise.

[CorkyMax]

I just had to make an appointment to get Max's 5th rabies shot. The vet was willing to write out the necessary 'stuff' to waive the shot because of Max's heart condition. This village is not even up-to-date on the latest document on the Wi. law on this-----So this is what I was told, lol,---1st the document would have to be updated--then the request brought before the 'city' board and then decided upon (which I am sure they would turn down anyhow.) Of course this procedure takes time and would have to be brought up at their next board meeting after they finally updated their files---Way too late for it to help my Max even if it would be approved. License is due March 31st. So once again I have to see this shot of POISON injected. If I could afford to keep having heart x-rays taken--I would just to see if this shot made things worsen and his heart to start to enlarge more at an increased rate. (Of course it would never be caused by the shot! Yeh, right!!) Well, at least my vet must not think all these rabies shots are good and not the best idea for Max because of his heart condition or he would not agree to waive it! Although I'm sure he would never come out and say that this shot caused Max to go down hill if it indeed does!

I am still going to push some updating on this ordinance around my area so if the question ever comes up again at another time for me 'down the road' or anyone else who may need this ---It will be ready to proceed with a lot quicker! I suggest that dog owners check all this 'stuff' out and make the road a lot easier/quicker in case you or another dog lover may need it! If it is like it is here this needs to be done. Wish someone would have done it here before as it is doing me no good at all right now!