UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

Our Cocker is appx 14-16 (we're not 100% sure since we adopted him from a shelter). At a vet visit a few years ago the vet picked up he had a heart murmur. He said just to watch it and if we noticed he started couging a lot to bring him back for meds. Well just recently he's been coughing...a lot. I did some research and all those meds they put them on have side effects which have to be monitored closely (xrays sonos, etc) and the medicine and follow up is $$$. I have no problem shelling out $$ for my animals but realistically is it worth it? We're not poor but we're not rolling in the dough either. The medicines also have side affects that can cause other problems that can make him uncomfortable.He is fine right now with the exception of the cough.

He is older and realistcally how long do dogs live? I don't want to put him through that or quite frankly shell out so much $$$ especially if the side affects are bad.

I'm just torn on what to do. He's eating, playing still being a PITA so his behavior hasn't changed. The coughing is annoying though. I was going to look into some holistic remedies and we have also been giving him a little Robitussin which has helped some. Anyone have experience with this? Advice? Honestly I guess it's just hitting me now how old he is and that he really doesn't have much longer to live. It's hard enough that my 18 year old kitty just passed last month and now this.

UPDATE: We took Rocky to the vet. Between Sunday-Tuesday night he declined rapidly. He basically stopped eating and didn't want to walk. He would wag his tail here and there but he was not his old self. That broke my heart into a million pieces. The dog that would knock down gates, steal food and wake me up at the crack of dawn to feed him was gone. In it's place was an oldie that just needed rest. The vet said it's most likely CHF and he could do diagnostic tests to confirm and give him meds but at Rockys age (Between 14-16) he cannot guarantee quality of life. The meds may have given him a few months or a year at that. I didn't want to force meds down his throat 2x a day just so I could keep him around so we made the decision to put him to rest.

Background: We got Rocky from a kill shelter (NYCACC) almost exactly 10 years ago. At the time he was between 4-6 years of age. He was brought there by a family who "couldn't afford him". Rocky brought much joy to our lives. He was our baby. We had some rough times with him (aggressiveness towards DH) and other things like knocking down garbage cans, etc. that in reality probably could have been fixed with a trainer. We stuck it out because he was my baby my responsibility. If you are looking to get a dog or cat for that matter please please please look into the Kill shelters first. There are soooo many good animals there just waiting for homes. I know we rescued Rocky and Sno my cat who just passed last month from early death. They got to live out their years with a family that loved them. That gives me peace. They brought joy and memories to my life that are immeasurable. RIP Rocky and Sno. You will never be forgotten

Another word of advice if you do decide to get a pet please make sure you have a sinking fund set up for their medical care. It gets quite costly. Euthanising him ran us $415 which thankfully we had however I could see especially in this economy where it would be hard to pull that money from somewhere. Just a piece of advice.

Message edited 10/19/2011 12:31:02 PM.

Re: Older dog with heart murmur

Not really the same...but I have a cat with a heart murmur and the vet said that coughing is a sign that the other organs are stressed. It's not just a cough that you might have from a cold.
I would definitely take the dog to the vet to see what they can give you to help the cough and to make him feel better!

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

Bump for update

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

i'm so sorry! I read the whole post...I sounds like Rocky was lucky to have found you and your family. He lived a long life and you should be proud that you let him go so he wouldn't feel any more pain

It's so true about having some savings for the dogs...it is so expensive when they get sick. I had no idea euthanasia was so expensive either

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

Posted by LoveMyHubby605


It's so true about having some savings for the dogs...it is so expensive when they get sick. I had no idea euthanasia was so expensive either

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

i'm really sorry my dog is on her way out so i know exactly how you feel....it's terrible....right now we are taking things on a day by day basis but it will probably be soon....again i'm so sorry

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

I'm so so so sorry. But you did the right thing, he was suffering.

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

I'm so sorry. Run free, Rocky.

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

I am so sorry for your loss

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

So sorry for your loss.

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

I'm so sorry.

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

So very sorry

Thank you for saving his life, and spreading the word about nyacc.

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

So sorry for you loss

Rocky was a very lucky dog to have a family that not only rescued him, but loved him and took care of him as well as you.

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

So sorry for your loss! I have a cocker named Rocky also he is now nine and I hope he has as long of a life as your little man, my Rocky sends you lots of love in this terrible time.

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

I'm so sorry for your loss

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

I am so sorry for your loss.

Re: UPDATE: Rocky has crossed the Rainbow Bridge Older dog with heart murmur

Thanks Everyone. Its been 5 days and I still feel so lost. I can't believe how hard this hit us. Even with DD, the house is so empty without them. Clean but empty
I really wish we could rescue another dog but our building doesn't allow dogs and I don't have the time or the money to go through another lawsuit with them.