Boxer Owners and Pet Lover alike,
Hi, I’m the owner of an 8 month old, fawn boxer named Ike and like so many others I too have just recently been faced with a possible major health issue. This past Saturday after playing with Ike outside for a good hard 20 minutes and then I brought him inside which is when he started coughing very slightly, then started to loose his balance and suddenly collapsed. (He actually did this once before but the situation was totally different. The first time it happened he was sleeping I heard him cough slightly and then it happened but it only lasted for a couple of sec. and then he was fine, like nothing ever happened. It happened so fast that I honestly thought he was just having a bad dream, it made not sense to me at that time.)
Back to what I was originally saying, when Ike collapsed he did’t shake but his legs became stiff and he started drooling profusely. This episode was quite obviously different and it lasted for about a min. When the episode was over and he regained consciousness but he wasn’t the same, he seemed very disoriented and weak. I knew something was defiantly wrong and without hesitation I immediately took him to an emergency veterinarian. The only hard test that was performed was an X-ray which showed pulmonary Edema (fluid in the lungs). The veterinarian also suggested the presence of a “possible” soft heart murmur which somehow went un-detected by three other different veterinarians during three other different routine examinations. The possible prognosis of Ike’s episode was heart disease or more commonly known to the boxer world as Cardiomyopathy. The one thing that I am thankful for was my doctor honestly and concern of the matter by referring me to the best Cardiologist specialists at Ohio State University. The next step of this horrible situation will have to wait until Monday which is when our Cardiologist Apt. is. Now I can’t help but to assume the worst and it’s driving me crazy.
I never knew to what extent or how serious heart disease was in boxers until I got home and started researching it, and that’s when it all hit me, and pretty hard. Ike was a gift that someone gave to me shortly after my father passed away this summer which is why he’s so special to me. He means the world to me and I’m not ready to let go of him just yet. This is why I’m asking anyone with insight or information to similar experience to please help me out. If it is BCM, what should I expect? Could it be something else? Will he cross the bridge on his own or will I most likely have to make the decision. Do there personality chance? Ect. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Jeff and Ike
Hi, I’m the owner of an 8 month old, fawn boxer named Ike and like so many others I too have just recently been faced with a possible major health issue. This past Saturday after playing with Ike outside for a good hard 20 minutes and then I brought him inside which is when he started coughing very slightly, then started to loose his balance and suddenly collapsed. (He actually did this once before but the situation was totally different. The first time it happened he was sleeping I heard him cough slightly and then it happened but it only lasted for a couple of sec. and then he was fine, like nothing ever happened. It happened so fast that I honestly thought he was just having a bad dream, it made not sense to me at that time.)
Back to what I was originally saying, when Ike collapsed he did’t shake but his legs became stiff and he started drooling profusely. This episode was quite obviously different and it lasted for about a min. When the episode was over and he regained consciousness but he wasn’t the same, he seemed very disoriented and weak. I knew something was defiantly wrong and without hesitation I immediately took him to an emergency veterinarian. The only hard test that was performed was an X-ray which showed pulmonary Edema (fluid in the lungs). The veterinarian also suggested the presence of a “possible” soft heart murmur which somehow went un-detected by three other different veterinarians during three other different routine examinations. The possible prognosis of Ike’s episode was heart disease or more commonly known to the boxer world as Cardiomyopathy. The one thing that I am thankful for was my doctor honestly and concern of the matter by referring me to the best Cardiologist specialists at Ohio State University. The next step of this horrible situation will have to wait until Monday which is when our Cardiologist Apt. is. Now I can’t help but to assume the worst and it’s driving me crazy.
I never knew to what extent or how serious heart disease was in boxers until I got home and started researching it, and that’s when it all hit me, and pretty hard. Ike was a gift that someone gave to me shortly after my father passed away this summer which is why he’s so special to me. He means the world to me and I’m not ready to let go of him just yet. This is why I’m asking anyone with insight or information to similar experience to please help me out. If it is BCM, what should I expect? Could it be something else? Will he cross the bridge on his own or will I most likely have to make the decision. Do there personality chance? Ect. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Jeff and Ike
