pulmonary hypertension

[binkismom]

Hi all
I have not been very active here but enjoy reading about everyones pug experiences. My little one is ten and is the centre of my world. Last year she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy but has been doing so so well. Two weeks ago she seemed very uncomfortable so it was a late night vet visit for us. She was restless and breathing raggedly and threw up so the vet was thinking a tick. After a thorough examination the vet thought it was in fact fluid build up from the heart condition so gave her a shot of diuretic and was told to giving her a lasix in the morning. I took her home to keep an eye on her (not a wink was slept that night!) and she was still seeming uncomfortable and threw up again. In the morning she went outside and pooped out a large amount of sand! I took her back to the vet where it was determined that it was a stomach ache due to the sand ingestion and that she must have eaten something nasty in the sand the day before when my mother in law took her to the river. The following day she was fine but a little bit tired which I assumed was due to recovering from the sand episode. The day after that she still wasn't 100% so I took her back to the vet and she was put on antibiotics as they were worried about aspiration pneumonia from her vomiting. Then the next morning she didn't want breakfast which immediately sent alarm bells ringing and I took her back to the vet and demanded that the take blood and do whatever it took to find out what was going on. I left her there and an hour later I received a phone call telling me her kidneys were failing..BUN levels were at 35 and creatinine at 188....she had to spend 48hours on a drip and I was a wreck. She came home after her 48 hours and was here usual happy self but I wanted to take her to see our other vet who uses holistic and traditional treatment but we had to wait a week so we could recheck her kidney function after some time off the fluids. Looking back i wonder if her kidney issue was due to massive dehydration due to sand ingestion, diuretics and vomiting not to mention whatever nasty food it was that enticed her to eat sand? Anyways we went in a week later and her kidney levels were back to normal! I was so relieved but her breathing still wasn't back to normal. I let the vet keep her for monitoring and to have a carxiac ultrasound done. It turns out that her heart is perfect but she has a condition called pulmonary hypertension. She is still super happy and eating well but needs to lose weight and have her nares and pallette done in order to alow better airflow. Has anyone had any experience with this disease? Apparently it is very hard to treat and all you can do is try to alleviate symptoms. I have searched the forums but have not come up with much but would love to hear from anyone who has dealt with this. I am only just coming to terms with the fact that she is aging and really struggling with the inevitable loss that we all face when we take these sweet beings into our lives. So much thanks in advance and sorry for the long winded post. Many puggy blessings to you all.

[Loconn55]

I don't have experience with this, but I know you must be worried; I have 10- and 12-year-old pugboys, and every medical problem scares me! No need for apologies for a long post; it's helpful to know all the details. Our Village health gurus (including Lisa -- 6 Beautiful Pugs) will probably chime in soon. Glad your baby is feeling better and hoping for more good news postop. My Chainsaw had five airway surgeries because of his extremely narrow airway and some bad work by the local vet, but that's VERY uncommon; my 12-year-old Pooka had both nares and palate surgery, recovered quickly and completely, and has never had a breathing problem since—a far more common result. I'd advise you choose a surgeon who is very familiar with brachycephalic breeds, and the laser technique is supposed to have a quicker recovery period and less swelling postop. (But Pooka had regular, nonlaser surgery and did beautifully.) Good luck.

[shaynapug]

I have had no experience yet with that.........

I do know that my vet does not do the laser surgery. He does MANY bulldogs and other breeds to shorten the palette etc......I asked why....and a few of the vets said that there are no studies that show one is better than the other...etc???!!!

My thoughts are with you!

Seeing a good outcome!

[JoanneN]

I haven't heard of it in Pugs, but I do know in humans it is pretty serious and can lead to a heart lung transplant.

[Wonka & Nilla]

I have no experience with this, but just wanted to send healing thoughts and best wishes for your girl.