Non Stop Cough!!

[kevin earl]

hi again

we have been non stop to the vet with our boy, still he has enlarged heart, we have tried frusemide and also torbutrol to stop the cough but the torbutrol seems to make no difference now, he just gets the usual mucus from the nose in projectile form elastic bands!!, otherwise in all other aspects he is as bright as a button and the vet said he defies the prognosis with the heart murmur, not excercise intolerant at all, no panting , just the cough anyone have any ideas what to try as we cant get any sleep and he gets a bit fed up with it, vet seems to be beat as well i think

kevin

 

[FlyLurcher]

Sorry i am not up with the names of meds but is your dog getting anything for water/fluid build up?

My nans dog had a bad heart and had meds for that as well as water tablets, any time she forgot to give the water tabs (or ran out) the dog would get a wracking cough as the fluid builds up in the lungs when the heart isn't working as well as it should.

The only bad thing about the water tabs, they got id of the cough but the dog kept peeing all the time :angry:

 

[eve]

If the cough is due to fluid buiild-up (vets treat with Frusimide) I have used chopped lightly cooked turnip & carrot mix as a natural diuretic for one of my dogs. It was very effective and it does not put such a strain on the kidneys as conventional prescription medicines.

If your dog is not on medication at present, you could try the turnip for a week and so how it goes. It should start working within 24 - 48 hours if it is going to work at all. He will need to pee more frequently but it may help with the cough and fluid build up.

 

[Misslara]

My whippet has an enlarged heart too she coughs and the usual nasal discharge snot everywhere mind you shes been on abs fir that and it has cleared it up no end,as for the cough she is on two heart meds and the water tabs and she still coughs not as much but its still there.

She did go off her food for a while but seems to have got over that now!

 

[DanH]

hi againwe have been non stop to the vet with our boy, still he has enlarged heart, we have tried frusemide and also torbutrol to stop the cough but the torbutrol seems to make no difference now, he just gets the usual mucus from the nose in projectile form elastic bands!!, otherwise in all other aspects he is as bright as a button and the vet said he defies the prognosis with the heart murmur, not excercise intolerant at all, no panting , just the cough anyone have any ideas what to try as we cant get any sleep and he gets a bit fed up with it, vet seems to be beat as well i think

kevin

Hi,

My brothers staffi x has a similar condition (luckily is OH is a vet so all his treatment is free!).

They got his coughing an mucus under control with a combination of meds and diet changes. He is not allowed any salt at all, not even the tiniest amount as an ingredient in his food, he also is not allowed raw meat, bones or any sort of food based chew (such as the rawhide chews - plastic chews are ok).

Also, interestingly his heart condition first came to light due to his constant coughing - investigation showed that he'd picked up Lungworm which was aggravating his lungs and making the coughing worse, the investigation also picked up the heart problem. So, it might be worth considering that the coughing - if it is proving unresponsive to the heart drugs, might be due to something else, such as lung worm, which in its early stages can have very similar symptoms.

Hope this helps

Dan

 

[kevin earl]

hi again

thanks for all replies , we have now stopped the frusamide and now giving dandelion tincture from herbal company and also hilton herb gold tincture and he is a bit better so it looks like the dandelion does the same job with any fluid build up, but i have to say he is def better coming off the meds , and we also cut down on vetmedin also

thanks all

 

[eve]

Once you have given the Dandelion a try, have a go with adding mashed turnip to your lads diet.

Not only is it a natural diuretic, it has lots of great vitamins in it too.

I used lightly boiled mashed turnip and carrot and extra fluids to 'flush out' Daisy's kidneys when she first came here very poorly.

She needed to go very frequently but it was most effective.

Interesting about the Dandelions. My whippies all go mad for the flowers youngsters and oldies alike.

Glad to hear that he is a bit better.

 

[dolly]

Also try carbo veg 30C its homepathic

Its used for oxygenated the blood, so the heart doesnt have to work so hard, so hopefully may reduce the coughing

 

[kevin earl]

well back to the vets again to get some torbutrol to stop the cough at night and was told none available in the country they said , supply problems it seems, thats a bit of a blow as they were very good at helping him get a night sleep without coughing anyone hear of any at a supplier please let me know and my vet can get them

 

[jok]

As you'll be able to get a prescription from your vet for this medication - have you tried all the on-line vet pharmacies?

 

[kevin earl]

hi

yes we have tried all the ones that have came up on google with no luck even the vet was trying to day but all no stock, vet was mentioning codiene to d the same job but its not as strong