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enlarged heart & liver in my toy poodle

Sent to Pet Experts July 13 2006 at 10:12 AM
   

I have a 5 year old toy poodle that my vet thinks has an enlarged heart & liver. He eats BD Science Diet and plays, but pants all the time. About 3 months ago, almost overnight, he couldn't walk straight. My vet sent him to a Neurologist and they did a Mylogram and it was normal. We have had sinus X-Rays, hip X-Rays and last of his abdomen. She said that his heart looked enlarged, as did his liver. She said it looked as if the liver was pushing into the heart. He plays and eats, but can no longer go up steps, or jump on the furniture. It's just very confusing and it's starting to cost quite a bit of money. I would like some information on what can be done. He also has become very fat around the tummy and he doesn't eat that much. I would appreciate any help.

 

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Age: 5; Male; Breed: toy poodle

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Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $8
Info Request
July 13 2006 at 11:34 AM (1 hour and 22 minutes and 28 seconds later)
         
REPLIED to Info RequestCheck Mark

Does your dog have a heart murmur?

Has it been tested for heartworms with a blood test recently (if so, when)?

Are the liver values elevated on the blood work?

Is he developing fluid in the abdomen?

Dr. Vicky Lamb -- Veterinarian -- 97% Positive Feedback on 259 Pet Accepts
15 years small animal veterinarian
Reply
July 17 2006 at 12:42 AM (3 days and 13 hours later)
         
Reply to Dr. Vicky Lamb's Post: No, he does not have a heart murmur. He has been tested for heatworms and he is negative and he takes his heatworm medicine the year around. Liver values are not elevated. I don't think he has fluid in his abdomen. My vet just says his liver is enlarged. He is having another liver test this morning. A different one then he had before. He continues to pant, but my vet did say he does need to lose weight.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
July 17 2006 at 5:29 PM (16 hours and 47 minutes and 16 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

I believe your specific question was that you wanted information on what could be done...

The best answer to that question is to find out what is causing the problem. You need to continue looking for the reason behind these symptoms, then by treating the underlying problem, hopefully the symptoms should resolve.

The enlarged heart finding on the xrays may or may not be significant. The way to know for sure? You should take him to a cardiologist who can do an echocardiogram and see if there is a decreased function to the heart, or problems with the flow of blood through the heart. Right sided heart failure will cause the liver to enlarge. Who knows, maybe his heart is making him weak and causing his walking troubles and panting, andcausing the enlarged liver. Since the liver enzymes are normal, that would indicate the liver is functioning normally. If this were my dog the echocardiogram would be the next step.

You could also look into whether or not the neurologist can do an MRI of the brain looking for problems there. Unfortunately, I don't think you have gotten to the root of your dog's problem, and more testing will be needed. Sometimes problems aren't identified on the tests we do routinely. The only thing you can do, if it is in your budget, is get further tests done. Ask your vet and also the neurologist what they feel the next step is. I'm more inclined to check the heart. However, if the liver tests you are supposed to be getting are abnormal, then a liver biopsy might be next!

Please reply with any further information or questions, I'd be happy to keep trying to help.

Dr. Vicky Lamb -- Veterinarian -- 97% Positive Feedback on 259 Pet Accepts
15 years small animal veterinarian
Reply
July 18 2006 at 12:43 AM (7 hours and 13 minutes and 57 seconds later)
         
Reply to Dr. Vicky Lamb's Post: I had another liver test run yesterday. My vet sent that to KC to a specialist. I am waiting on that result to see what they have to say. It will probably be a few days until I find out about that. Thank you for your information. I will write, when I get results from the 2nd liver testing.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
July 18 2006 at 5:11 AM (4 hours and 27 minutes and 41 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

Great! I would be interested to see what the test is for and the results.

Dr. Vicky Lamb -- Veterinarian -- 97% Positive Feedback on 259 Pet Accepts
15 years small animal veterinarian
Reply
July 19 2006 at 1:22 AM (20 hours and 11 minutes and 9 seconds later)
         
Reply to Dr. Vicky Lamb's Post: When I get the results, I will let you know. 7/21-I got the results back from the 2nd liver test and it was normal. My 2 vets and a radiologist from KC, said that they think he is OK, but he needs to lose weight, as they think that is why he is having a hard time walking and is panting. The radiologist said that she doesn't think his heart is enlarged hardly at all and the vessels look good. She said his liver is just a little enlarged and now with both tests being negative, she said if he loses some weight, she thinks alot of his problems will go away. He weighs 7.8lbs and should be around 4, so he does have a weight problem. He seems happy and doesn't hurt, so I'm not spending any more money for testing.

Edited by Customer (name blocked for privacy) on July 21 2006 at 1:17 AM
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
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