Chachi's dying
May 5, 2008 | 0 comments
sleep | Originally uploaded by yi.
I'm posting this here to hopefully add to the interweb archives for other chihuahua (or small dog) owners out there that might be searching for similar symptoms. Chachi is 10 years old now but has never acted like an old dog should. He's always been high energy, not easily exhausted, and runs around with no physical signs of aging like arthritis or knee problems like some chihuahuas might have. A few years ago when Chachi had some head trauma the vet at the emergency room noticed he had a heart murmur. This was simply noted and I brought it up with my vet later. He said not a real problem but we'll keep an eye on it. Last week after playing outside, Chachi came indoors and started coughing which is not out of the ordinary for him. After he stopped hacking I walked over to where he was on the couch and noticed he was lying down on his side with his legs out to one side. He never lies down like this. I petted him and he looked at me but seemed lethargic. I figured he was tired from chasing some squirrels outside. Then later that evening after coming from a walk he started coughing again, gasping for air and trying to catch his breath. Then I noticed he just sort of lied down and was really weak. I petted him and he almost seemed to have passed out, but not completely. I picked him up and set him on the ground to see if he could walk. He stood there and attempted to walk but seemed shaky. I held him for the next 5 minutes in my lap. He was completely lethargic. I did some research on the internet using the terms "dog coughs and passes out" and found he matched all the symptoms of a collapsed trachea.
The next day I called my vet to tell him the symptoms and what I had witnessed and my suspicions of collapsed trachea. He agreed that's what it sounded like but because he also has a heart murmur also recommended he get his heart xrayed as well. I had an annual exam scheduled the following monday (today) and he said just to drop him of the same time to do everything at once. There was no emergency to bring him in right away. The next several days were inconsistent. He would be fine one day, maybe only a few coughing fits, then the next day would cough and gasp for air all evening. He had no symptoms at all when sleeping through the night. I witnessed one more fainting spell several days later but again I wasn't sure if he really was fainting or not. I thought about bringing him in earlier but the vet clinic was closed most of the weekend, and Chachi's symptoms actually seemed to have gotten less severe.
So this morning I drop him off and they give him his annuals and xray his chest. He does have a collapsed trachea but the doctor also noticed an enlarged heart and fluid around his heart. He said the cause of the coughing and breathing problems would be one of these things and the only way to rule out the heart was to get an ultrasound. Later in the afternoon the ultrasound tech came in to administer the procedure and shortly after the doctor informed me that Chachi has Mitral Valve Insufficiency. The heart has two chambers each with valves that regulate the flow of blood to the heart. There are small chords, called chordae tendinae, that connect these valves to muscle tissue. When the heart contracts the chords pull the valves open and close. One of Chachi's chords had ruptured. The doctor suspects it had happened some time last week which explains his rapid onset of coughing and gasping fits and possible fainting spells. The doctor showed me the ultra sound pictures and pointed out that the ventricle that didn't have the ruptured chord was much thicker than the other. This is the cause of the heart murmur from years back. Over the years the valves thicken with an aging heart. The thinner valve was the one the chord had snapped from. It was not in the right position, but significantly higher than it should've been in the heart. As a result of all this Chachi has congestive heart failure. All we can do now is put him on diuretics to help flush out some of the fluid and heart medication to control his blood pressure to help out his nonfunctioning valves.
Apparently this is a really common disorder in chihuahuas and other small dogs, that develops with age. I guess I never think of him as being old. But 10 is old. I forget sometimes. My mom asked me how long Chachi has to live. It didn't occur to me to ask the doctor so I have no idea. I'm not sure I want to know.
Right now he is sleeping peacefully on his pillow.
