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Another Bad Day (heart Problems)

Jess565

Jess565

Junior Guinea Pig
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So our Ted is in heart failure and he was diagnosed in July since then we have had some near misses with him and lots of heart ache but have been on track and he has been back to his old ways for most of it with a few days where he reminds us he is ill.
Today is one of them days, his breathing is very laboured and he's not moving about much I have spoken to the vets they have told me to up his meds which I have done, I'm in bits at work I can't talk about him or what's going on or it will open the flood gates! :no: I'm now dreading going home. Please can you send lots of piggy wishes for Ted to be responding to his meds. I'm hoping Bruno is keeping him going. He was teasing him with food last night and got him moving! :hug:
 
HUGS!

If upping heart meds is the way forward, you should see results very quickly. ;)
Please remind yourself at all times that you are buying Ted extra time that he may not have had with another owner.

@helen105281 @Jaycey @Freela
 
Thinking of you and hoping that an increase of meds helps!
 
Hopefully the increase will help, can I ask what meds he is on and the doses?
 
I got home from work and he is still with us but he isn't wanting to move about and eat which he's never done, I have managed to coax him with fresh parsley and some redi grass but he just gone back in to his bed now. He's also had his second round of meds.
He's on a pinch of 'fortekor plus 30' a day but the vet said he can have it twice while he's struggling & 0.15 of 'furosemide' twice a day but is back onto 3x a day now.if he's still not eating in the morning I will have to take him to the vets. He has gone down hill so fast, yesterday morning he was standing on my feet waiting for food and today I didn't think he would be here when I got home from work. I just hope we can pull him back but I do know this might not be the case one day. Thank you so much for the good wishes. Fingers crossed for him!
 
Whatever happens with Ted you are doing an amazing job with him and giving him every chance.
Fingers crossed the increased meds help him through his current crisis, and he is pottering about again very soon.
 
I'm Sorry he is no better. There is scope to increase the diuretic. Some vets can give up to 10mg in a crisis situation as a one off and then regular lower doses. I give the fortekor twice a day. Do you know the dose in mg? Also you could ask the vet about adding Vetmedin.
 
I don't know the dose as it's a tablet I crush and they said a pinch like a pinch of salt but I give a good pinch on cucumber. I am back to staying up late for his third lot so I will give him a bit more diuretic. My partner just got home, Ted's a daddys boy and he took some carrot from him and more redi grass. What is vetmedin? Would this be something as well as his other meds?
 
It would as it works differently to Fortekor. I am going to tag @Adelle in case she is around as she has more experience of Vetmedin and tweaking doses than me.
 
Jess565 said:
So our Ted is in heart failure and he was diagnosed in July since then we have had some near misses with him and lots of heart ache but have been on track and he has been back to his old ways for most of it with a few days where he reminds us he is ill.
Today is one of them days, his breathing is very laboured and he's not moving about much I have spoken to the vets they have told me to up his meds which I have done, I'm in bits at work I can't talk about him or what's going on or it will open the flood gates! :no: I'm now dreading going home. Please can you send lots of piggy wishes for Ted to be responding to his meds. I'm hoping Bruno is keeping him going. He was teasing him with food last night and got him moving! :hug:
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Sending lots of love to you and your poor sick piggy. Vet will have increased the meds to drain fluid from around the heart and lungs therefore allowing heart and lungs to function better. Xx
 
Sorry to hear your boy isn't doing too well.

Firstly if his breathing has deteriorated and he's struggling then the fluid situation needs to be addressed urgently. If this gets out of control his heart and kidneys will be under too much pressure.

What strength is the furosemide? It should be on the label. The dose you are giving is in ml as it's a volume but it's the actual quantity in mg that matters which depends on the strength. Vets will obviously want to give a low dose as possible but whilst there is a fluid problem, it needs to be increased until he stabilises. The heart meds (fortekor) aim to help the heart function better so less fluid builds up but until that is achieved, the furosemide needs to be increased by the vet to get rid of it and he will likely need to stay on said higher dose to keep it away until if and when the fortekor helps stabilise his heart. Of course there is a risk to kidneys with higher dose diuretics but when dealing with heart failure, you really need to weigh up the consequences of not adjusting as you go. My sows dose was regularly increased to keep her breathing clear and for her to lead a normal life. In the end fudge was on 5mg (note not ml) of furosemide every 8 hours. My girl battled for 2 years until 8.5 years old and led a normal life with no damage to her kidneys from the meds.

The fortekor needs addressing.. A pinch is not accurate enough of a dose and the dose needs to be stable and given on time for it to be able to build up in the body and have the desired effect. Fortekor for dogs comes in as low a dose as 2.5mg. My girl was started on a quarter of this initially which is easy to split and crush in water before syringing by mouth, and is accurate too. In the end she was on that quarter dose every 8 hours.

Vetmedin 1.25mg tabs is good for strengthening the hearts beats and regulating the rhythm which also helps reduce fluid build up. Fudge was started on a quarter of this too and in the end was on this dose every 8 hours.

Regular chest xrays (consciously) are absolutely vital in managing the fluid build up. They help show if there's pockets of fluid collecting meaning you can adjust the furosemide as needed before your boy gets to a stage of struggling for breath.

Spironolactone is a different type of diuretic that has heart protective properties and was one of the drugs that really helped my girls condition. The dose for this is 5mg once a day.

Hope some of this helps, but I would definitely push for a conscious chest x-ray and adjust the furosemide dose under vets advice to get rid of some of that fluid to help your boy breathe easier and get back on his feet. It isn't an easy condition to manage but with regular vet visits and keeping on top of the fluid with medications, it is possible for them to lead a normal life. It will take time to find the balance but if you get there, you will notice a big difference in him.

Sending lots of good luck vibes x
 
We are booked in to the vets for later today, he did seem a little brighter this morning and I can discuss the other meds mentioned. He has been taken for regular check ups the last one was two weeks ago and they were very pleased with him and he had no fluid in the lining of the heart or lungs, we thought we had nailed it. His meds are pretty much given at the same time every day give or take ten mins.
Its so hard because he was doing so well.
 
Jess565 said:
We are booked in to the vets for later today, he did seem a little brighter this morning and I can discuss the other meds mentioned. He has been taken for regular check ups the last one was two weeks ago and they were very pleased with him and he had no fluid in the lining of the heart or lungs, we thought we had nailed it. His meds are pretty much given at the same time every day give or take ten mins.
Its so hard because he was doing so well.
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Wishing you all the best for your Vets appointment.
 
Hi everyone sorry for no update sooner. Ted deteriorated quickly over the days and sadly passed away at home with us all by his side last night. We are heart broken beyond words. He was one of a kind.
 
Oh I am so sorry for your loss. You did everything you could for him and he knew that he was loved. There are no words to console you at this time. Just to let you know we are all thinking of you we are here if you need to chat.
 
I'm truely sorry for your loss.you did everything possible to help Ted.
he had unconditional love and support.
Sweetdreams Ted.
:hug:s to your family.
 
Jess565 said:
Hi everyone sorry for no update sooner. Ted deteriorated quickly over the days and sadly passed away at home with us all by his side last night. We are heart broken beyond words. He was one of a kind.
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I am so sorry. No words can really help you when you lose a treasured friend but we all send hugs and love, knowing what it's like to go through it. Xx
 
I have only just caught up with your thread. I am so sorry that you didn’t have longer together after the diagnosis of heart trouble, but you loved him and did all you could for him. Hugs to you. RIP Ted. Popcorn free returned to full health at the Rainbow Bridge.
 
VickiA said:
I have only just caught up with your thread. I am so sorry that you didn’t have longer together after the diagnosis of heart trouble, but you loved him and did all you could for him. Hugs to you. RIP Ted. Popcorn free returned to full health at the Rainbow Bridge.
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Oh dear! Tears again - just thinking of my recent losses who will now be back to full health and playing with all the other piggies that I've lost. No doubt also meeting up with everyone else's to. x
 
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