My Chihuahua

[malc]

A few weeks ago my Chihuahua "Curro" started coughing and trying to throw up.
I thought he had bronchitis but a trip to the vet showed he has a heart murmer, or the beat is
not synchronized which makes it work harder and that leads to enlargement of the heart.
That then causes fluid build up in the lungs so to be sure an echo-graph and ecg were planned for the next day.

I passed the following night with him going to what I thought was death´s door he was struggling to breathe
and the cough was exhausting him.
Finally the day arrived and off we went to the vet, first off an injection to start the release of the fluid.
The tests showed what was diagnosed to be right and he got a shopping list of drugs and three shots a day
for a week to get rid of the fluid.
Luckily the misses is good at that.
He has now regained his former self but will never be "better", he´ll be on medication everyday for the rest of his life.

[pdub]

If he's himself, that's the treatment.

Quality of life. We all know how much we all love our furry kids, but in a couple cases we tried to medically sustain the pet for too long. It sure is hard to let go. At the end of Frecklee's life we were giving him fluid injections and diuretics at the same time. That was just wrong, we were trying to keep him with us. And he was suffering something awful.

[silver_bullet]

We have had dogs for better than thirty years... each still holds a place in our hearts... Tuffy was Tammy's last dog with her parents...She was able to be with him when he had to be put down...
Scotty was my first dog, Tammy and I had him as our child for several years and was Sean's firs dog as well... He still wears the scar from when he cornered the poor pup...also had to be put down for Cancer...
Then Bray...rescued from an old gentleman who fed him too much and ran him to little...Cancer
Blue was next, got to the point with seizures where I didn't want Tammy or Sean to come home to a loved one dead on the floor... he didn't recognize any of us...
Jocko lived 20 some days after Blue passed and succumbed to cancer as well... four plus years without a pet...
now we have Lugnut... he too will eventually pass, but we will try to bring him as much love and laughter as he has given us... we will always hold a special place in our hearts and minds for our fluffy buddies and hope others treat their animals with as much kindness and love...

[Dan Barlow]

Glad that he is better . HOPE HE HAS SOME GOOD YEARS LEFT IN HIM.

[malc]

I never wanted a dog but my wife's daughter saw
this one's mother up for sale and begged to get it.
She's still with us 14 years old and real cranky..still barks at me as an intruder.

We can't go anywhere because of the dogs a day at the most but we can go to the apartment on the coast and they come along.
My brother has two Spaniels and in the UK there
are dog friendly pubs and hotels so he's pretty lucky.
His Cocker Spaniel wins prizes regulary in competitions but it was a hard job training him.

[DanStokes]

I don't know in the UK but here in the US Cockers were inbred horribly in the 1950s and they still haven't recovered from that. They got REALLY stupid and hard to train (we had Cockers when I was a kid).

I got on to Standard Poodles when my second wife and I adopted one from the humane society in Michigan and my life was never the same. So Kingsford is my third and ME's second one and they're the best. Mine have all been gelded males so I don't have much experience outside of that but I sure can recommend them. The problem with little dogs like Chihuahuas is that they tend to live a REALLY long time and if they're a PITA you're stuck with them for a REALLY long time!

Still, glad the little guy is doing better and I hope he has good years ahead.

Dan

[Loren]

Chihuahuas are a special breed alright...do well indoors and make great company for people who they aren't pissed off at...

Our old mutts from the pound who live outside and are just supposed to bark at anything unusual are just as tough to see sick or pass along. After a very poor experience with an Akita we stay away from pure-breds, all that means is that-type dog is for people who know what they are doing and of-course avoid the pitfalls. All I know about dogs is to feed 'em, pet 'em and yell at them that they better get along (and not bother the chickens).

[BBR]

Our 8 y/o Yorkie just had to have a leg amputated. She jumped off a ledge and broke it very oddly at the elbow joint. Vet said any attempt to set it or pin it would likely not be successful, so we opted to have it amputated. She is adapting to 3 wheel life very nicely.

[DanStokes]

I think it's amazing how well 3-legged dogs get around. Generally doesn't seem to phase them much.

Dan

[malc]

There´s a three legged dog lives just down the road,
he´s missing the lower part of a rear leg....born that way.
But he can run....

Vet was happy with mine last visit, he stays on full meds. until a new echo-graph and ECG are done in six months.