I know I came back, and posted for a little while, but then my dear Dukie boy started coughing and was rushed to the emergency clinic. In an effort to keep my eyes dry before I go to bed, I'm just going to copy what I already posted on another forum...
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Unfortunately Duke is no longer with us. He did, however, get to come home last night (April 9th). He was not in congestive heart failure any more, but he wasn't good; he looked good, but he just wasn't right. As he came walking down the ER hall, he wasn't right. It was like he was some place else. I got him a squeaky ball, stuffie, and a huge 3 foot bully stick as a welcome home present, but he showed little interest in any of them. With the lasix, mexitil, lanoxin, and enalopril, he was pretty much just sleeping, drinking, and peeing. He didn't want to eat, and he didn't want to play, so his quality of life was pretty much shot as soon as he left the ER, along with the oxygen and IV. He was taking very short, rapid breaths, so the lasix dosage was increased. Unfortunately this didn't help, as he began to again cough. He got one last lasix pill at around midnight, and everyone went to sleep. In the morning he seemed to have some speck of spunk back, even if it wasn't that much. I had to go looking for him around the house when I got up, while he would usually be going up and down the stairs taking laps around the whole house. I found him in a corner, sleeping, and it took me nudging him to wake him. He lifted his head, saw me, got up, and was all wiggles. I took him outside to pee, we came back in and I tried to get him to eat, which was a no-go. I added rice, and he took a bite or two. After he didn't take to eating, I thought maybe I could dremel his nails or brush his teeth. While I grabbed a snack, he trotted away downstairs. In what seemed like a split second, my mom said "Caitlin... I think Duke passed out" I was in shock again and I think the only thing that came out was "what?" I went downstairs to see him laying on the floor. She said he was playing like his old self, when he just stopped, spread his legs, looked at the floor, and collapsed. It sounded like he wasn't even there when it all happened. She was talking to him, but he wasn't repsonding any more.
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Hearing everything the vet was saying after he came out and was ready to go home, I was honestly surprised he was still here. DCM, an arrhythmia (those two alone don't mix by any means), coming out of congestive heart failure, on thyroid meds (over-supplementation causes an increased heartrate), plus his lungs still weren't good. We were in the car and about 15 minutes in he started coughing and I just said "Please Duke no." It really wasn't good, and just for the 'surprise' factor this is an awful disease. I just wish I would have known, then maybe it wouldn't have been so hard...
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Unfortunately Duke is no longer with us. He did, however, get to come home last night (April 9th). He was not in congestive heart failure any more, but he wasn't good; he looked good, but he just wasn't right. As he came walking down the ER hall, he wasn't right. It was like he was some place else. I got him a squeaky ball, stuffie, and a huge 3 foot bully stick as a welcome home present, but he showed little interest in any of them. With the lasix, mexitil, lanoxin, and enalopril, he was pretty much just sleeping, drinking, and peeing. He didn't want to eat, and he didn't want to play, so his quality of life was pretty much shot as soon as he left the ER, along with the oxygen and IV. He was taking very short, rapid breaths, so the lasix dosage was increased. Unfortunately this didn't help, as he began to again cough. He got one last lasix pill at around midnight, and everyone went to sleep. In the morning he seemed to have some speck of spunk back, even if it wasn't that much. I had to go looking for him around the house when I got up, while he would usually be going up and down the stairs taking laps around the whole house. I found him in a corner, sleeping, and it took me nudging him to wake him. He lifted his head, saw me, got up, and was all wiggles. I took him outside to pee, we came back in and I tried to get him to eat, which was a no-go. I added rice, and he took a bite or two. After he didn't take to eating, I thought maybe I could dremel his nails or brush his teeth. While I grabbed a snack, he trotted away downstairs. In what seemed like a split second, my mom said "Caitlin... I think Duke passed out" I was in shock again and I think the only thing that came out was "what?" I went downstairs to see him laying on the floor. She said he was playing like his old self, when he just stopped, spread his legs, looked at the floor, and collapsed. It sounded like he wasn't even there when it all happened. She was talking to him, but he wasn't repsonding any more.
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Hearing everything the vet was saying after he came out and was ready to go home, I was honestly surprised he was still here. DCM, an arrhythmia (those two alone don't mix by any means), coming out of congestive heart failure, on thyroid meds (over-supplementation causes an increased heartrate), plus his lungs still weren't good. We were in the car and about 15 minutes in he started coughing and I just said "Please Duke no." It really wasn't good, and just for the 'surprise' factor this is an awful disease. I just wish I would have known, then maybe it wouldn't have been so hard...
