Heart+Spleen+Sotalol=???

[divazoe]

Hi all,
I've been very moved by the knowledge and compassion shared on these forums--hope some of you have some insights/experiences with what I'm about to go into.
I have a 9.5 year old Boxer named Diva who up until recently, has been fairly healthy. About 1.5 yrs. ago, she had a cancerous tumor on her side, but it was successfully removed and she has been under close watch by an attentive vet.
Now about 2 weeks ago, she had an episode of rapid breathing followed by a partial collapse. Her gums were white and cold. She was rushed to an emergency hospital (Oradell in NJ) and they proceeded to put her on oxygen to stabilize her. They brought her back out and she seemed fine, like nothing happened, but while we were talking to the vet, she went into another episode. They took her back again and decided to keep her overnight. They gave her an EKG, a sonogram, and put a Holter monitor on her. They also gave her an intravenous drug called "lidocaine" (sp?) to stabilize her. The next day (and $1700 later--oh well, she's worth it), we went to get her and they said that she was not having a...you wouldn't know this if i didn't tell you, but i've been away from this message for about 20 minutes because she just went into something, i don't know what...she's lying on her side and her heart is very erratic, she seems extremely tired, can barely lift her head. i thought she was going to die. now she is just resting and her heart has slowed...i called the vet (oradell, which is open 24 hours) and they said that i could bring her in, but i don't know what to do. it's almost an hour away from my home. i don't want her to die in the car...she's resting now. anyway, as i was saying before, from the testing, they saw that she has a tumor on her spleen. they don't know if it is malignant or not. they want another sonogram in a week or so to see if it has grown. so the problem is maybe the thing is malignant and it is causing her to have a heart problem, y'know, it spread to her heart. now, the way she's acting, maybe the tumor on her spleen ruptured. she wasn't doing anything strenuous right before and her gums are red and she's warm, so maybe not. i'm very scared. we love her so much. i don't want her to suffer. it's going to be a long night. tomorrow morning, we'll go to the vet and i'll update you.
thanks for listening,
divasmom

 

[Jan]

I'm sorry to hear that Diva has not been well. I hope that they figure out what the problem is soon. I'm sending positve vibes your way!

 

[Debbie Magon]

I too, am very sorry to hear Diva is not well.
Cancerous tumours can suddenly do things that have dire consequences for the dog.
I went through this with a few olderboxers and one quite young one.
It is heartbreaking and I truely understand.
All you can do is keep in touch with your vets and hope for the best for Diva.

Sending positive vibes and boxer ((((((((HUGS)))))))) to you both.

 

[divazoe]

ok for now

hi guys,
thanks so much for your positive vibes. we appreciate it. i was a basketcase all day. it was indeed a long night, but aside from some major snoring, she seemed fine. i called her vet before i decided to go in and she basically said that since she is having the erratic heart beat, she's not a candidate for surgery on the spleen. so even if it is malignant, there's nothing we can do about it until her heart stabilizes (if it ever does). we think that's what was happening last night. something about electrical impulses to the heart going haywire and the medication (sota) trying to correct it. i guess it's just wait and see right now. in any event, i've pulled out the video camera and gave her a few extra healthy snacks (she loves raw baby carrots) when she asks for them. what a nerve-wracking scenario. my heart goes out to all who are going through similar scenarios.
thanks again and good health to all the little boxers out there!
tanya

 

[boxers4life2001]

Sorry to hear about Diva :( Her episode kinda sounds like what Cayenne (my parents boxer) had. He collapsed and his heartrate was sky high and his ekg was AWFUL. He was having a run of PVC's. We ended driving to OSU (3 hours away) to be seen on emergency (by the cardiologist) and they were able to stabilize him with the IV lidocain. He now takes Sotolal 80mg twice a day to try to limit the # of PVC's he has. They diagnosed him with BCM. So far so good (knock on wood ) His holter monitor showed a decrease in the # of PVC's (still had some but it did decrease)

I will keep Diva in my thoughts and prayers, please keep us updated on your baby!!!!!

~Carrie~

 

[Thomas Liggin]

Your post just caused a flashback. We lost our beloved Rocky about fifteen months ago at eight and one half years of age. His symptoms weren't the same as Diva's.

He lost his appetite, got nauseous when he went near his food, and strained to have bowel movements, but passed nothing. The initial diagnosis was a stomach virus or bug since everything else came up normal. Two days later he was back at the vet's because his condition had gotten worse.

At noon I was called by the vet and told that he needed to be taken asap to the emergency hospital. His condition had really gotten worse.

When I got him to the hospital, his heart was skipping beats and I was told he had serious heart problems. We rode the roller coaster for five days, hoping against hope that his condition was something that could be treated.

An EKG and sonogram by a board certified cardiologist showed his heart to be fine. But it turned out he had three types of cancer ravaging his digestive system. His spleen ruptured and they performed emergency surgery to remove it. Two days later the biopsy reports told us it was time to say goodbye.

Those six days cost us over $5,000, and as you said about Ally, he was worth it. We still haven't gotten over losing him. I don't mean to worry you, and I hope that Ally pulls through and has a few more years.

My heart goes out to you, because we have been there. This is the "worst" and best part about Boxerworld. It is so difficult to hear about sick Boxers because they are so precious. As difficult as it is, these things do happen.

We have another Boxer now, and he has brought the same joy and life to our home that Rocky did before him. Unfortunately there is nothing we can say or do, but to let you know we care.


Tom

 

[divazoe]

For those of you who've lost a pet, my heart goes out. Thanks so much for sharing your stories and giving your support.

It helps TREMENDOUSLY!

Today, Diva is doing fine. I called the cardiologist and told him that she had that episode about 5 days after they had prescribed the 40 mg. of soda twice daily. He said that we should double it to 80 mg. twice daily. We'll see what happens. So far, she seems fine, playing and begging for treats as usual. Took her and her siblings (a pug and a shepard mix) to Liberty State Park for a little romp. All seemed happy.

Spoke to her regular vet later on in the day and she said that we should schedule that 2nd ultrasound for her spleen (to check and see if it's grown any), and that once her heart stabilizes, she will once again be a candidate for surgery should she need it to remove the spleen. I forgot to ask the vet, but does it still need to be removed even if it is not cancerous?

I also asked the vet about some holistic treatments for the cancer (if necessary) and she said that it shouldn't be a problem, but that we should focus on the heart right now. Does anyone give any special supplements for the heart? I started giving Diva CoQ10 (50mg. once a day) about 2 yrs. ago, when I felt she was getting older and needed the extra protection. I've been reading about so many different things, it's hard to know what's best. I don't want to overdo it with the supplements, but I also don't want to miss out on something that could make a big difference in how long she is healthy and with us. Decisions, decisions...but i will make them gladly if it means getting another day of seeing her wiggly butt greet me at the door

Thanks again all,
Tanya

 

[matilda8255]

My Molly has BCM and when I first found out I went absolutely nutty looking for supplements and better food to help her out. She is only 2 yrs old. I got to speak with Dr. Meurs from Ohio State. She is the best specialist in the US for BCM (she is amazing and e-mailed me right back!) and she said because it is an electrical problem and not a muscle issue there really aren't any supplements that would help. I saw something in her case studies about a possible L - Caratine (sp??) deficancy relating to BCM and it is in most high quality foods anyway so I don't supplement.

I know there are several supplements you can give if cancer turns out to be an issue. You should do a search and there will be tons of info.

but does it still need to be removed even if it is not cancerous?

I'm not sure but there are plenty of dogs that have had it removed and they are fine.

CoQ10 (50mg. once a day)

A wonderfull supplement for the heart but I think ?? it deals more towards muscle than electric (PVC's). I am not 100% on that one you should find more info if you search.

I am glad to hear Diva is doing better. We will send you positive vibes for a speedy recovery.
Stephanie, Cleo, Caesar, Matilda, Molly