I found my dog about 3 weeks ago from local dog pound the problem was I didn't know any info regarding his past well he had been snorting for past couple weeks so i took him to the vet well the vet told me that he had a heart murmur and suggested x-rays then knew financially i didnt have much so we aggreed to that well when the dr came back she stated that colby had an enlarged heart and that it would be $$$$$ big bucks if he wasnt enlarged then we could have tried just meds has anyone ever had that problem ... my dog was cocker spaniel the dr stated that i had been lied to as the dog was over 10yrs the pound told me 2 yrs old and that he probaly wouldnt have gotten better even if we found the cause he might only have a short time left

Hi kennylisa
I've just found out a bit about this myself, my pup has a heart condition and will eventually develop congestive heart failure (sadly, I can't afford the corrective operation either :-( ) Apparently, the symptoms of heart failure are an enlarged heart, and difficulty breathing (I've been told to look out for rapid breathing and coughing), the breathing difficulties are caused by fluid build up in the lungs, which makes the heart work harder, which makes the fluid build up even more, etc, etc. Has your vet suggested a low sodium diet? This minimises the rate of fluid build up, and can help the breathing problems if the heart failure isn't too advanced. Are you insured? Diuretics/vasodilators/heart drugs will help our pup when she starts showing symptoms, but these are quite expensive. The only other thing you can do is restrict the exercise, if anyone has any other suggestions, I'd be interested to hear them too! We are prepared for the worst, and are trying to give our dog a good life for the short time she has left, sometimes that's all you can do.

my Rottie x has Congestive heart failure, just the beginnings of it, and he is on heart medication, but also gets a low sodium diet, and supplements of Taurine and L-Carnitine, which are two amino assets which help the heart

HTH

THeresa

Thanks for your post I wish i could say that my dog recieved wonderful treatment when i got him i was told he was a young dog appr 2yrs old then the vet stated the dog was over 10 the vet felt that with his age and other factors that he was not a good canidate for future expensive testing his heart was so bad that when we did have to put him down the poor dog had to have a double dose due to the heart so large that the first dose didnt work and poor colby just snored but it was better for him he had 3 great weeks with us... when we got him he only made funny noise then it got worse and he was snoring so loud that we had to have him in another room then he couldn't sit still just kept itching his belly come to find out his heart was so large it was resting on bottom on body and he was itching to make it feel better he was a great dog for only 3 weeks i wish i knew from begining that he was sick he should have never been in a dog pound the prev owner wasn't very nice to do that to a wonderful pet poor colby had no bottom teeth and his eyes were seriousely drooping so it was a better way for him but now i know what to look for in the future goood luck with all your pets I still have my other dogs they are older also but i have had them since birth so i know there health history which is so important....

Sorry to hear about Colby, kennylisa. At least he had a good time while he was with you, and wasn't just left in the dog pound. Minx is off to the vets tomorrow, we'll have to wait and see what her results are. How right you are about knowing the health history!

Thanks so much for your advice and concern. Believe me - I feel very much in the dark throughout this whole experience. I just hope she's back to being herself soon.

This morning I found out my cocker spaniel (Ginger) has an enlarged heart. I was referred to a heart specialist for a consultation to discuss treatment and/or surgery. Ginger is about 10 yrs old and I'm worried about her being able to survive this major operation. I want the time she has left to be amazing and happy. I want her to remember she is loved instead of remembering how miserable she was at the end because of the surgery and recovery. Do any of you have any tips or suggestions since I've never had to deal with her being sick. My husband and I always thought she was healthy and it was by a fluke we found out she had this condition. She had an upset tummy and the vet suggested we do x rays to see if she was fine. That's when we saw her heart was enlarged.

Also, do any of you know about how much an operation like this could cost?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Sorry to hear about your dog. If it were my dog, I would not opt for such major surgery on a 10yr old dog, especially when she is showing no signs of this problem. My Jack Russell had an enlarged heart at 9yrs and lived to 15 and a half and died of kidney failure, never had the slightest trouble with her heart. I would consider things very carefully. Cost wise, VERY expensive, I would guess £2000-£3000, obviously it requires specialist treatment and your vet will not be able to do it.
Dawn.