My husband and I finally pulled into the driveway today from a great drive to and from Indiana. We took the doxies with us because 1) they are small and don't mind the drive and 2) they are just naughty enough to make people not want to watch them. Indigo, our black lab, stayed behind with our friends.
Indigo was returned to our house today around noon to await our return. We pulled up with the two boys and when we walked into the house, she mustered up enough energy to raise her head. This was not the usual circus we were used to. She had been feeling a little badly before we left. She had a bad cough that her vet attributed to kennel cough (I was suspicious of this diagnosis). Even after a round of antibiotics, the cough persisted. She usually has a voracious appetite. Lately though she can barely eat enough to sustain a little wiener dog.
So while we were unpacking and letting the boys get used to being home again Indigo laid around, not moving much. When she got up to follow me into the kitchen, I looked at her and felt sick to my stomach. The normally svelte, hourglass shaped dog looked like she swallowed a basketball. When we left for the trip, we commented on how skinny she had gotten. Now here she was, barely moving and looking like a hot air balloon made of black fur.
I immediately thought the worst and called my sister-in-law (she's a vet tech). She told me to take her in immediately. I called Indigo's vet's after hours answering service and received a call back in about 15 minutes. He also insisted we take her to the emergency room. So we packed her up quickly, leaving the wieners barking and anxious.
After about 3 hours, we received the news we dreaded: Indigo has congestive heart failure. Her chest and abdomen are filled with fluid because her enlarged heart cannot keep up. Her heart rate was around 190. We left her at the hospital tonight in hopes that a diuretic treatment will reduce the fluids and help her feel a little better. Her prognosis is poor though - we know that. The ER vet was talking months instead of years. We are lucky enough to be within 10 minutes of one of the best vet schools in the country. Our instructions are to contact a cardiologist at the vet school for an appointment first thing in the morning.
