3/6/24- [Updated Post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/DogAdvice/comments/1b7ql6u/update_to_my_dog_suddenly_became_lethargic_today/)
\----
2/26/24 Hi everyone OP here- the vet did an ultra sound and said there was fluid around her heart, she says next step is to pull the fluid out and send it to a lab which will take 1-2days. Has anyone experienced this before? She says it’s most likely a mass that burst and could be cancer. I’m feeling really lost.
Sounds like pericardial effusion… most common causes in dogs are cancer or idiopathic (meaning we don’t know the cause). There are some surgeries that can be done to relieve the pressure on the heart but the prognosis is guarded to poor most of the time. So sorry.
This happened to my golden last summer in August. He was fine one day but was breathing a little odd that night. Next day he was super lethargic and his gums were pale so I rushed him to the emergency vet w/ my dad. Pericardial effusion, they could have drained the fluid but it would have needed to be done multiple times w/ maybe a month max to live like that. He was critical when I brought him in they said. Surgery was offered but it was quoted to be $7-11k w/o much of a better chance, so I decided to euthinize him instead. It was all just so sudden and how fast it happened. Everything was fine one day and he was gone the next. He was only 6. I miss him every day, raised him from a 10wk old pup.
This same exact thing happened to me word for word with my Heeler. He was 11 but it’s never easy. One day he was out running laps in the yard playing and barking. The next day I had him in my lap at the vet. Sorry for your loss!
Appreciate you saying that. That's very true, but I hate it nonetheless. I should have had double the amount of time left with him but it was sadly cut short. I'm just glad he didn't have to continue to suffer through that. I'm happy that he at least lived a damn good 6 years, he was spoiled rotten.
Ugh I'm so sorry 😢
That's so awful to experience, and have it happen so fast. I don't think you made the wrong decision - extending a dog's life is usually a selfish decision. They'll still be suffering, maybe not so much, but the end is imminent and there's no way to suddenly make them feel better for that short-term extension of life.
My last lab (family dog) had spinal stenosis, and was so obviously in pain (had to pivot to get himself upright just to a sitting position, let alone being made to go out for his evening pee). I was the one to say that it was time, because despite him being \*my\* dog, I was 17 when we got him, and a handful of years later, he was truly my dog, and my companion; we trusted each other and he got me through a whole lot of hard years.
it was still hell when I realized that he was struggling, and in pain, and I couldn't live with the thought that he was not okay.
Putting down an animal is so incredibly difficult, because they can't tell you what's wrong, so it might come right out of left field.
TL;DR: you did the right thing, as incredibly hard as I imagine it was.
I am so sorry. Same thing happened to my 9 year old female golden last month. We are beyond devastated. It was all so sudden and tragic. I am sorry for your loss . I feel your pain
i lost my german shepherd in october the same way. she was fine when i left for work, and by the time i returned home and rushed her to the vet, it was too late and we had to put her down. i hope you are doing okay, friend.
and OP, I hope your prognosis may be better since you caught it before it was too late. i know chances may be slim, but i am hoping for you.
So sorry for your loss. The exact same thing happened to our golden last October. She suddenly had extremely labored breathing, then seized on the ground and peed herself. We rushed her to the vet and she had fluid buildup in her heart and abdomen. Vet said it was likely hemangiosarcoma, and that surgery was expensive with poor prognosis. We also decided to put her to sleep; she was just shy of 11 and I miss the hell out of her.
So sorry for your loss 😭 we lost our girl Oct 2023 to hemangiosarcoma, tumor burst and internal hemorrhage. Devastating, we had to let her go, she just turned 11 the month before. Miss her everyday 🐶 ❤️
My sister lost one of her goldens the same way. She’s a vet and rushed him to her own clinic but once she knew the diagnosis, she knew she’d have to say goodbye. Very sudden and sad.
Same w my Mandy (Dachshund). They could remove the fluid but said I’d at best get 3 more months. She crossed the rainbow bridge a week after the first treatment. she was a the goodest girl.
I'm so sorry to hear you lost your precious boy. I have a 3 year golden and she is my world. She needed emergency surgery this past summer and it set us back $6k but her prognosis was good so we did it. She is worth every penny though.
Same happened to me. She was only 10. It was heartbreaking. Fine one day dead the next. Turned out to be blood vessel cancer and the growth burst. Surgery was $7k and only 20% chance she survived and maybe a month to live. I wasn’t going to put her through that.
My sisters dog went through the same thing. She ended up draining the fluid and spent a few more weeks with her. She was still so full of life, playing and tossing toys around. Then one morning she woke up, was lethargic, hiding under the bed, not breathing well, and my sister knew it was time. They had to wait all day for the vet to take them, and it was terrible watching her suffer. All this to say, you really did the right thing. Even if you drained the fluidi, it likely would have come back and you would have been in the same position again. It’s such a terrible awful thing to go through. Sorry for your loss.
This had me in tears at work, same thing happened to my rotti in december, was fine then was not. We were given a week left and it would have been a painful week, so we decided to so what was best for him.
You did the right thing, and it sucks. Sending you hugs from afar.
Thanks everyone for your supportive comments, it means a lot and helps me realize that I did right by him by not dragging out treatment for something that'd just make him miserable anyways for an extra month or two of time. Not worth it if he's suffering. I've come to terms with everything and thankfully don't feel guilty about it, but I of course miss him dearly and wish he could still be on my couch next to me like old times.
This happened to our doggo when she was 14 years old. It was so sudden. We live in gratitude that she never really had time to suffer and spent all her days happy. She spent that day still walking to the mailbox and sharing apples with my SO. The perfect usual doggie day.
Oh I am so sorry! We lost our 6 year old 1 year ago sudden (just 1 day) and nothing anyone could do. My heart stopped when I read your post. Pain is unbearable💔
I went through this with our cat, she was barely 2, we drained the fluid once, it was all so hard on her. Totally unfair when they pass so young. I'm sorry for your loss
“Fluid around the heart” doesn’t just sound like “pericardial effusion”, it’s the literal definition of those words. Peri = around, cardio = heart, effusion = abnormal liquid.
99% it's blood. I've never seen it otherwise. Especially in an older dog, the chances are this is something other than cancer? I wouldn't bet on it. This is bad, fluid around the heart is never a good thing.
This is how I lost my 9 year old hound mix a few years ago...it was so sudden, and the vet said there was not much they could really do. I feel horrible for anyone who has to go through this with their companion.
My dog had early heart failure around 3. They found her heart to be like twice the size it was supposed to be due to fluid build-up. The vet gave her heart medication, and we did a lot of walking. After a few months, she was back to normal. She's now 10 and still going strong and has been on medicationsince. I hope you have a similar situation and get through this.
Yes, I experienced with an older Miniature Schnauzer I had. We decided to humanely euthanize him because we'd have to have the fluid removed more than once, it would keep leaking. He was suffering and in pain. I am sorry this has happened to your dog.
They can't tell what the fluid is ? My 14 year old GSD looked like this, also excessive thirst, and ultrasound showed a dozen fluid pockets in his abdomen, they pulled a few of them and they were blood. They found irregularities with his spleen as well, so hemangiosarcoma was the diagnosis. Unfortunately we let him take his final rest. It was very sudden. He was playing and eating and then 12 hours later was dying.
This just happened to us Wednesday… although our guy had been under chemo for the past seven months and was doing remarkable. But Hemagiosarcoma is so unpredictable and he suddenly had a bleed we couldn’t clot - so they dosed him up with pain meds and we took him home to euthanize him peacefully.
I'm so sorry! unfortunately once they have symptoms of something being wrong its likely too late .. they said we could attempt surgery but that it is low success and a rough recovery especially for older dogs. I ended up having an abdominal ultrasound of my 10 year old dog a few weeks after because I was nervous about being caught off guard again. I might just make it a routine thing every year or two to check everything out.
in a way i was glad there was no gradual decline, right up to his last day he was eating and running around happily. i wish he wasn't in the pain he was in the last few hours, but i'm also glad it was sudden and shocking enough for me to react quickly. it's all so rough.
Hermangiosarcoma killed our pit bull. It was heartbreaking. I took him to 3 different vets looking for answers and help but they all said the same thing, surgery that could prolong his life for 6 months but that’s all we could do. That wasn’t enough for us but one gave us supplements that helped him a little and he bounced back for a month but then took a turn again and we made the hardest decision to let him go.
Fluid around the heart can also be congestive heart failure. My little man had that and was caused by an issue with his heart that went undetected. We are approaching a year since his diagnoses and we have reversed all symptoms of CHF. This obviously came at a great cost(many vet visits, a cardiologist & daily medication), it is not cheap but my family thankfully has the means to support him. I pray for you and your pooch. Big hugs.
The vet told us, “6 month to 10+ years, we don’t really know.” The most upsetting news to receive. Thankfully he’s better than ever and his heart is no longer swollen. Stories like yours are what gave us hope!
Lots of love to you and your furry friend. This is not a good sign. It's up to you what you do next, but take it from someone who spent thousands and sleepless nights at the emergency vet only to lose my 10 year old sheppard a month after her first symptom of Paricardial Infusion. Outside of constant supervision, surgeries, and a LOT of money, your dog is nearing the end of its life. One of the vets we saw suggested I skip all tests and just let nature run its course, but I couldn't accept that, and we did all we could. At the end of the tests and vet visits they couldn't find anything wrong... she was gone only a few weeks later.
Make sure she has the best days she can and all the love you can give. My heart goes out to you two.
I’m so so sorry such a thing is happening to your pup and you.
When I saw your video just now it reminded me of what my greyhound was doing, how he was breathing.
He was in the same situation. Since it was an emergency I did consent to his being tapped, which is to remove the fluid. Very tough thing.
It did provide relief but only for about 5 hours. At that point I didn’t want it done a 2nd time, he was already so afraid. It’s devastating to remember, but I would say, based only on my and my dog’s experience, to give him his favorite things, if you have any vanilla ice cream or can make him a burger to enjoy, and sit peacefully with him, just do so now.
You’ll also need to talk to the vet to address what will come next, and to avoid suffering.
I realize people are mentioning CHF. Based on what you said which is exactly what the vet told us, this is not that. I’m so heartbroken to even say those things but I want you to have some way to quickly process.
With my dog it happened also quickly also it was very quick that he just kept getting worse and worse all in a matter of hours. It was a pericardial effusion caused by hemangiosarcoma.
As best you can, listen to what the vet is saying and guiding.
The decision you need to make, if it’s like my own dog, comes awfully quickly.
I wish I had better, more hopeful words to say. The thing is I feel I need to be honest so you can begin trying to process what is more than likely the most, most difficult time of all. I wish I could say otherwise.
There can be an infection that can cause an effusion, but based on what your vet said it sounds like something more, and also more likely.
I’m working tonight so I probably won’t be able to post but your pup and you will be in my thoughts.🐾🐾
Yes and I'm so sorry. We lost our dog to this last January. Hers was much more further along when we found it out.
With ours it affected the conductivity in the heart which made her incredibly short of breath and irregular heart beat.
Give your dog all the love you can and prepare to say goodbye.
We had a vet visit home and she went off to sleep. Still cry about it now.
Wishing you all the best in the world
Same thing happened to my dog a few months ago. It’s truly unfortunate. If it’s cancer, you can either snuggle with your dog while it suffers from cancer, or you can be brave. Prayers for your pup.
Sorry op, give that puppy lots of love ❤️ and make comfortable. My 13 yo lab was the same and she was euthanized at home on her bed with lots of love around her. I still miss her 2 years later.
Not to give false hope but one of the accounts I follow on Tiktok recently had this happen to one of his huskies and pupper pulled through. He is a lovely guy and speaks really candidly through the whole process so I'd deffo recommend having a look at his videos ❤️ @siberianderpskies
I really wish the best for you and your pup!!!! It looks a lot like what my dog had and will share some tips. She presented with sudden lethargy, abdominal movement and shortness of breath.
If it is pericardial effusion it is VERY important to count their breaths per minute to ensure the fluid is not building back up and causing discomfort. Our vet gave us a pamphlet with how many breaths they should take a minute (15-30) and told us to count once an hour. If it is abnormally high count again a few mins after. if it consistently high call the vet.
We did the draining of fluid and monitoring. They told us to prepare for the worst but hope for the best. So everyday we brought her to one of her favourite shops around town, made sure she got a bone or new toy and then threw her a party with some of her favourite 2 and 4 legged friends where she got to eat a turkey dinner. Everyone was optimistic and it was a great time.
The vets asked us to keep her heart rate low… but while making sure she still got to play with her favourite friends and toys (just not too crazy). They explained there was no real point in testing and that draining the fluid was giving us an extra few weeks/months to say goodbye and hope for the best, I hope this is not the case for you 💕
It was one of the hardest times of my life, but I can look back at her memories fondly now, even though I’m crying while writing this.
>She says it’s most likely a mass that burst and could be cancer.
I am sorry I don't have better news and I am sorry you are going through this. My first dog I adopted was 8 - 9 years old (estimated). He was an amazing dog, however I only got maybe 2.5 years with him. I came home one day to him breathing like this, and he was not eating. I took him outside to use the bathroom after work and he couldn't go down the stairs, and he peed on the deck (usually he went in the grass). I decided to take him to the emergency vet when he also wasn't eating. He couldn't get inside my car (I drive an SUV) and I had to lift him (he was a 70lb dog) into the hatch trunk because I couldn't lift him high enough to get him in the seat.
They did an ultrasound, and they said he did have a mass that was cancerous and it burst and he was internally bleeding. I could tell he was in pain. I ended up letting him go for a multiple reasons. Firstly, his age made any type of surgery risky, which means I could spend a lot for the same outcome as putting him down. Secondly, even if they removed the mass and repaired the internal bleeding which was the immediate concern, that doesn't mean that the cancer didn't spread elsewhere and would cause problems later. I wasn't opposed to spending the money if I thought that he could survive and get more years with him, but realistically I didn't like the odds for the cost of something like that. I understand that other people may make a different choice given similar circumstances, and I respect that. However I also hated the fact that he was obviously in pain from it as well.
I don't regret any of my actions. From adopting a senior dog, to putting him down. He was a good dog, and I am glad that I was able to love him for 2 years so he didn't have to sit in the shelter. He previously was in the shelter for 7 or 8 months. And I absolutely love senior dogs. And I am glad that he isn't in pain anymore.
We had that with our girl Gia. It was cancer, and she kept getting fluid around her heart. We had it drained a few times, but she was sick and struggled to stand. We had to say our goodbyes to our beautiful -year-old girl. I'm so sorry you're going through this. Best wishes to you.
Hey OP, just like with human medical questions, if you ask the Internet you'll get the the worst case scenarios. You've done all you can, just love your pup till you get concrete answers then go from there.
My dog had something similar and it didn't end well. However, it happened over a day or 2, not suddenly like yours. Also the fluid was blood which I assume the very could tell if it is when they pulled it out.
While some symptoms can overlap, it doesn't mean the results will be the same. I wish you and your pup the best!
Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry! It may be ok- try not to panic yet - I know - easier said than done. Get the procedure so you can know for sure. Good that you noticed! Poor pup! 💞💞💞
We experienced something like this with our big guy. I don’t mean to scare you, his was a tumor in his heart and was given a week to live. We took him home and by day three we started to see the start of those symptoms again so we had to put him down to keep him from constantly suffering. I only share to prepare. He was my world and it felt like the rug was ripped right out from under me as he was his normal self days prior then gone. I hope this isn’t the case for you and your baby.🙏🏻❤️🩹 good luck
Oh this made me so sad. I hope she is comfortable and settled and that you are able to pour all your love into her. Sending all the love to your girl 🩷
Exact same thing happened to our GS a couple years ago. Fluid around her heart due to cancer. Unfortunately, it was too late to save her. I am hoping that the outcome is different for your pup 🩷
My dog was just diagnosed with a heart condition. It’s scary but as long as you know what to watch for, it could be comfortably manageable. I hope your pup has a bright outcome, it’s the worst when they’re not well.
I did with my German Shepherd. She became lethargic quite suddenly, and her belly started to swell while she would breath heavily. We rushed her to the emergency vet.. so what happened was she had a tumor somewhere around her stomach that had burst, and filled her stomach up with blood. We had to put her down, she was only 10 years old.
This has happened to a few dogs I knew, who unfortunately didn't make it either.
I'm so sorry OP, I hope your problem is fixable and not as severe as it was for my baby.
I’m so thankful your baby got seen, I wish I knew someone who went through something similar but unfortunately I haven’t 🥺 your baby will be in my thoughts and i will be hoping it’s benign 🥺💚
Oh man, I am extremely sorry! I went through this with my senior four legged best friend. We ended up at the great vet, she was extremely honest, she said there is a surgery that could help but at her age it's stupid, she'd be suffering and she gave us a chance to let her go in dignity, surrounded by ones she loved the most and in peace. I'm still reliving this moment in my head, over and over again. I made a promise to my dog that I will let her go when it's her time, so I kept it. Please keep us in the loop!
In my case for my 10yr old frenchie, we had the same symptoms and it did turn iut to be pericardial effusion, the mass on his heart rubbed against the pericardial sac which caused fluid to build up and cause pressure on the heartt. First step is usually to drain, but without high risk surgery, the pericardial sac will fill with fluid again
I opted for the surgery because I have faith in my dog , multiple surgery's before and he's unfazed ( he is a mad little thing). The surgery which was opted was to create a small hole in the sac to allow the fluid to drain should it begin again, that with anti cancer medication, we've been on okay for the two years l, but this is a patch job of a surgery and we can't directly address the mass due to the positioning, long story short, he is still terminal and I'm just enjoying as much time as I can with him.
It's a long, very expensive road and I only just about made it happen (still had to pay £3k ontop of mazing out my 8k insurance)
I really wish you and your pup all the best, its a blindside of a condition and without it being detected, they could just fall one day and you'd be none the wiser, at least now there's a chance for some options. 🫂
Sounds similar to my dog who ended up having hemangiosarcoma, which is a type of cancer. His was a big mass on his heart. But there are different types of cancers so if it is cancer, hopefully it is something treatable. Could they not tell from the ultrasound if there was a mass or not?
Just went through the same thing with my 13 yr old lab mix. His fluid did not show cancer, but he does have right side heart failure. Started on Vetmedin 4 weeks ago and is spry as a young pup again. Praying for your pup.
just went through this exact thing with my dog, expect it was around her lungs, so pleural effusion. there was also a mass on her stomach. unfortunately we caught it too late and the fluid wasnt able to be drained due to fibrin. we also could not afford further treatment, so our only choice was predisone (which did help a lot except the side effects were not the greatest) and gabapentin for any pain. it helped her be comfortable and manage her breathing and gave us some good last weeks together. unfortunately we just had to say goodbye to her today. if you can afford treatment, draining the fluid should be able to help. i dont want to scare you and say youll have the same experiences as we did, but if you have any concerns/questions please feel free to ask. we werent able to test the fluid either so we never found out if it truly was cancer, but they believed that was most likely the cause. hopefully the vet will start steroids to get things going and the test results will give you more insight on what the fluid maybe. best of luck to you and your pup!
I’m really sorry, and I hope you’re dealing with something less severe…this happened to our 8 year old shepherd this year. He woke in the night and laid back downstairs with labored breathing. We took him in and his heart was so round. We said goodbye, we would just be chasing an inevitable decision. We miss you Zeus.
This same exact thing happened to our dog 2 weeks ago. She got suddenly lethargic and was breathing like this. The xray found her heart was enlarged and was surrounded by fluid, and they also found that she had metasticized cancer in her lungs. We chose to put her down. Our vet was not hopeful about draining fluid from around the heart without knowing what had ruptured. I hope things go better for you.
Literally just went through this with my dog 4 days ago we had to put down. He was a 15 year old miniature dachshund. Over the span of a week he was pooping mucus and a little blood, quit eating and started coughing. When we took him in it was the same diagnosis plus a tumor on the spleen.
The pulmonary embolism was causing the fluid and ultimately why they said he'd have to be put down. It has been very hard, he was old of course but these symptoms ramped up out of nowhere and suddenly we are having to put him down. I hope its better for you. I am so sorry and will be thinking of your dog.
This happened to my 11 year old girl almost exactly a year ago. From what we were told, you can test and get answers, but it’s just prolonging the inevitable.
So sorry.
Very similar to my dog. Had a mass on her liver that burst. Put her down that day. Went from running in the morning to being completely immobile except for shivering and panting by 4pm.
Yes. It is generally a sign of an enlarged heart which is treatable but not curable. My good boy had enlargement and a blown heart valve, he was happy and comfortable. I miss him
Sounds like heart failure, maybe kidneys or otherwise. Usually medication can help them survive with this condition for a bit longer.
Please keep us posted and I hope she gets all the loves and attention in the worldz
I am so sorry you have to go through this. We had the same situation with ours. They removed the fluid around the heart and put her on some medication. Unfortunately she would not eat the pills. 3 weeks later we had to let her go. Hoping for a good outcome for you.
I'm really sorry to hear that. My family lost a dog to something similar in 2021. The vet's drained it once, and we had another month to more or less say our goodbyes before it came back and when they tried to drain it again there was too much blood in the fluid (she was bleeding into the space), so we had to say goodbye. It was a horrible shock because her breed usually lived 13+ years, and she was only 8.
The worst part of responsible pet ownership is accepting when it's time to say goodbye.
Yes, my dog was diagnosed with cancer . We got him surgery, but the cancer was still there even after surgery. We than decided to put him down since he was suffering
Hi. This happened to me and my dog (9-year-old Golden Retriever) last year during Christmas. Kinda similar, the vet said there was blood around her heart that needed to be removed but it was going to happen again. They just gave us some meds for her heart and she made it for three weeks until she finally passed away at home with us. I'm sorry you're going through this.
Is it just her heart? Did they talk about pericardial effusion, DCM, anything like that?
Yes, I’ve seen heart issues like this and in GSDs.
I just want to give you a heads up, they can do a centesis and take some of that fluid out- but it comes back.
I had that with one of my greyhounds. As soon as the vet drew up the fluid, it was very obviously blood and other gunk. She was 15 years old and could have had surgery etc. But I made the decision for her that she had enough.
I am sorry that you are going through this. It is not fun. I bawled the whole way home - and then some.
Okay I’m going to say this and understand that I’m in no way saying this is your situation, only sharing mine.
I had a dog with similar symptoms. Mine was also coughing. We thought it was kennel cough. Turns out it was the same thing. They drained the fluid and said we should monitor because all of the tests they did couldn’t find anything. Fa st forward, it happened again about 6 months later. This time, the options given were to just keep on going this way or to install a port so we could drain it at home since the cause was unknown. We chose the surgery.
When they got in there, they found cancer. Mesothelioma.
I’ll spare you the long story but we installed the port and he eventually went on chemo. This went on for roughly 4 years.
It was not a cheap endeavor. For us, it was worth it. He tolerated it all very well and died at a ripe age of 13!
I’m sorry you are dealing with this! There are so man things it could be, I hope you have some good facilities near like we do. If we didn’t have a cancer center near by, I’m not sure it would have turned out the way it did.
Exact same thing happened to my 4 year old cane corso. We had to put him down at the emergency vet about 5 minutes after we got him there. He was dying in front of us before we could get him into the emergency room for the vet to look at him. I hope you have a better outcome and hope your dog gets healthy again
My dog had a heart ailment and this stuff was miraculous seriously Pet Well Being- Young At Heart. Check with vet. Best of luck for a 100% full recovery!
You are such a good parent and brought them in to get help. You have done all you can until the results come in. Lots of love and rest will help you all through the night. My heart goes out to you. Big hug from an internet stranger.
I’m sending my love OP, from personal experience and after reading some of your comments you will have some hard moments ahead. Your pup knows that it is loved, but if your vet tells you they feel that it’s to old for surgery listen to them. There is nothing crueler then to prolong another’s suffering for one’s own satisfaction <3
OPs dog turned 12 years old 2 days ago, thats a relatively long time for a shepherd OP, and no matter what news it is, know you did well and the dog knows it is/was loved and taken care of. Some conditions we cant do anything about unfortunately even with advancement in Vet medicine
I'm going through almost the same thing right now. Blood tests this morning show she is anemic. Going back in an hour for ultrasound. Vet said it could be spleen issues or cancer. She is 10 and a border collie/bouvier.
Started with stomach cramps and burps so I thought it was something she ate, it went away in a few hours. She is still eating and pooping. But in the last 2 days she has had 3 spells of lethargy, stomach cramping like your video shows and groaning/burping.
My cat had exactly the same symptoms as you're dog, the breathing especially. unfortunately she had to be put down due to heart problems that i didnt catch sooner . Not saying this to scare you but something as small as this can be something serious, definitely sounds like a trip to the vets!
Better safe then sorry, my baby boy started acting weird and I knew something was wrong but everyone told me he would be fine. I was right and he had eaten something while I was asleep and had an intestinal blockage.
I was EXTREMELY fucking lucky as he didn’t have his surgery until TWO WEEKS later (the vets couldn’t give us a straight answer on if the foreign object was actually there or not due to it not showing on X-rays and they wanted $7,000 to save his life. Luckily a rescue did the surgery for free especially since he wasn’t even a year old yet 😭)
My pup is fine now but I urge you to just get him seen as the quicker you act, the less hell your baby and you will face
Op I am so sorry for the news you received and I hope they can get things taken care of. I understand your fear and feeling lost. Its crazy how one moment everything is fine and the next it all changes. I’m praying for the best outcome for your pup. Good luck
My CKCS had heart failure and started to act like this one day. I rushed her to the vet where they found fluid built up and told me she shouldn’t have been taking walks.
Unfortunately she crossed the rainbow bridge that day. Thanks to Covid, I never got to say goodbye.
Glad to see you took it to the vet. Lesson everyone should learn is as a dog gets older, everything should be considered important and needing to be checked out ASAP. Remember dogs age at a very fast rate compared to us, so them not seeing a vet each year is like 4-7 years for them. Lots happens in their bodies very quickly.
I hope the news is good but I've had two of these situations, last year and a few years ago... Both ended up being heart cancer. One survived two weeks and the other two days. In both cases, the thought was that it was UTI or pneumonia or something else until those fixes didn't help and went in for X-rays/ultrasound and found the fluid was around the lungs/heart and not IN them. The first dog with heart cancer went to a specialist hospital to stabilize his heart, and I was asking if I missed any signs or just ignored something and was told that one of their employees would have her German shepherd scanned every three months since she had access to all the machines. It developed heart cancer and died between the screenings when it was ~7-8. Certain things can pop up and be devastating very quickly.
Just prepare for the worst news...if not now, it could be soon. Best case scenario it's something you can treat and you'll be much more aware and appreciative to have your buddy for longer. But this isn't good news. Also, find out what the pain/discomfort level is, if he has something serious. One of my dogs had heart cancer and I was told by multiple vets that it wasn't painful at all for him, just that his heart was not working right. So I held onto him for the full two weeks, carrying him on stairs, helping him up, driving to places with good views and just hanging out with him. I didn't find it a need to put him down right away since he wasn't in pain and I wasn't ready for him to go. One morning he clearly had lost too much muscle to be comfortable and had to make that tough call.
Last comment for whenever the worst news is actually a reality... There are lots of in-home euthanasia places. It's awesome, both times the vets were insanely nice and comforting and the dogs got to be with their siblings and friends on their favorite spot in the house. Much better than taking them to a vets office where it's generally not a relaxing, comforting feeling for them.
Oh noo ! I hope he can get help without the worst case scenario coming from the labs
I pray he gets better. Nothing stresses me out more than my baby being sick .especially at her age. Vets are ultra expensive as well . I wish they had REAL insurance like we do.
She is using her muscle to pump as she is not getting enough oxygen it looks like. Depending on cause it can be medication or surgery. Either way now it's emergency visit to vet to diagnose
My old dog had this and it ended up being cancer. I can't remember the exact type but it was due to the absence of ref blood cells in her body. From diagnoses to death we ended up getting 2 years out of her. She died at 15
Thinking of you and your sweet pup. It’s hard to be strong in times like these. The loss feeling hurts , be there for your pup and give them lots of pats and love. They have the best owner that looks out for them.
Send me a dm if need to chat. Take care
I'm extremely sorry for the pain you and your pup are going through. I hope and pray that she recovers and is not suffering. Please stay strong and keep her best interests in whatever you have to do. She knows that you love her and she loves you with all that she has. Best wishes to you both always.
Hi! I'm in the same situation with my (almost) 14 y.o. lab. Her diagnosis is about heart, epatic, intestinal and artrosis problematics. It all happened in about 3 weeks, and I still can't realise what's happening, I'm scared about her situation.
I went to the vet because first in the morning, she couldn't "wake up" all her legs and she was having difficulties walking - 3 RXs with a lot of artrosis, my poor little thing. Anti-inflammatories and gastroprotector
After the check up visit, she started having heavy breath and coughing, so I booked an ECG and found out about all her internal problems, first of all the liquid around her heart. My vet suggested me some medicines and last night I began with the therapy, but at the moment I cannot see any differences (I know it's too early to know, but seeing her in that state make me feel really sad). I feel tremendously helpless.
I hope things will get better for yours and mine ❤️
(I'm sorry, english is not my first language)
I’m so sorry OP. I know it might be tempting just to throw money at the vet but depending on the age of your fur baby it might not be the smartest decision. So many people treat their pets like family and they truly are but they also live for a shorter time than we do unfortunately. Hope all goes well.
I'm so sorry your journey together seems to be coming to an end.
We love them so much, it's like losing a family member. It *is* losing a family member.
sudden lethargy and labored breathing is always an emergency, esp in an older dog
3/6/24- [Updated Post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/DogAdvice/comments/1b7ql6u/update_to_my_dog_suddenly_became_lethargic_today/) \---- 2/26/24 Hi everyone OP here- the vet did an ultra sound and said there was fluid around her heart, she says next step is to pull the fluid out and send it to a lab which will take 1-2days. Has anyone experienced this before? She says it’s most likely a mass that burst and could be cancer. I’m feeling really lost.
So sorry, but you did the right thing getting her to the vet! Good luck op and OP’s pup.
Sounds like pericardial effusion… most common causes in dogs are cancer or idiopathic (meaning we don’t know the cause). There are some surgeries that can be done to relieve the pressure on the heart but the prognosis is guarded to poor most of the time. So sorry.
This happened to my golden last summer in August. He was fine one day but was breathing a little odd that night. Next day he was super lethargic and his gums were pale so I rushed him to the emergency vet w/ my dad. Pericardial effusion, they could have drained the fluid but it would have needed to be done multiple times w/ maybe a month max to live like that. He was critical when I brought him in they said. Surgery was offered but it was quoted to be $7-11k w/o much of a better chance, so I decided to euthinize him instead. It was all just so sudden and how fast it happened. Everything was fine one day and he was gone the next. He was only 6. I miss him every day, raised him from a 10wk old pup.
You did everything right and sorry for loss.
This same exact thing happened to me word for word with my Heeler. He was 11 but it’s never easy. One day he was out running laps in the yard playing and barking. The next day I had him in my lap at the vet. Sorry for your loss!
Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately there are some disease that we are unable to fix.
Appreciate you saying that. That's very true, but I hate it nonetheless. I should have had double the amount of time left with him but it was sadly cut short. I'm just glad he didn't have to continue to suffer through that. I'm happy that he at least lived a damn good 6 years, he was spoiled rotten.
Ugh I'm so sorry 😢 That's so awful to experience, and have it happen so fast. I don't think you made the wrong decision - extending a dog's life is usually a selfish decision. They'll still be suffering, maybe not so much, but the end is imminent and there's no way to suddenly make them feel better for that short-term extension of life. My last lab (family dog) had spinal stenosis, and was so obviously in pain (had to pivot to get himself upright just to a sitting position, let alone being made to go out for his evening pee). I was the one to say that it was time, because despite him being \*my\* dog, I was 17 when we got him, and a handful of years later, he was truly my dog, and my companion; we trusted each other and he got me through a whole lot of hard years. it was still hell when I realized that he was struggling, and in pain, and I couldn't live with the thought that he was not okay. Putting down an animal is so incredibly difficult, because they can't tell you what's wrong, so it might come right out of left field. TL;DR: you did the right thing, as incredibly hard as I imagine it was.
I am so sorry. Same thing happened to my 9 year old female golden last month. We are beyond devastated. It was all so sudden and tragic. I am sorry for your loss . I feel your pain
Oh god I’m so sorry for your loss.
i lost my german shepherd in october the same way. she was fine when i left for work, and by the time i returned home and rushed her to the vet, it was too late and we had to put her down. i hope you are doing okay, friend. and OP, I hope your prognosis may be better since you caught it before it was too late. i know chances may be slim, but i am hoping for you.
So sorry for your loss. The exact same thing happened to our golden last October. She suddenly had extremely labored breathing, then seized on the ground and peed herself. We rushed her to the vet and she had fluid buildup in her heart and abdomen. Vet said it was likely hemangiosarcoma, and that surgery was expensive with poor prognosis. We also decided to put her to sleep; she was just shy of 11 and I miss the hell out of her.
So sorry for your loss 😭 we lost our girl Oct 2023 to hemangiosarcoma, tumor burst and internal hemorrhage. Devastating, we had to let her go, she just turned 11 the month before. Miss her everyday 🐶 ❤️
Fuck hemangiosarcoma. While we're at it, fuck cancer, too. (I've survived 6 different types of cancer.)
My sister lost one of her goldens the same way. She’s a vet and rushed him to her own clinic but once she knew the diagnosis, she knew she’d have to say goodbye. Very sudden and sad.
Same w my Mandy (Dachshund). They could remove the fluid but said I’d at best get 3 more months. She crossed the rainbow bridge a week after the first treatment. she was a the goodest girl.
I'm so sorry to hear you lost your precious boy. I have a 3 year golden and she is my world. She needed emergency surgery this past summer and it set us back $6k but her prognosis was good so we did it. She is worth every penny though.
Literally same with our guy. 6 years old raised since 8 weeks old everything. 💔 miss him dearly
Almost identical to my inlaws. Pup passed on way to vet.
This happened to our last Malamute. He was so sudden.
only 6! oh my gosh, i'm SO sorry. That is awful. You made the right call though. I'm so sorry you had to go through that.
Same happened to me. She was only 10. It was heartbreaking. Fine one day dead the next. Turned out to be blood vessel cancer and the growth burst. Surgery was $7k and only 20% chance she survived and maybe a month to live. I wasn’t going to put her through that.
Same experience here, I miss her every day as well 😞
My sisters dog went through the same thing. She ended up draining the fluid and spent a few more weeks with her. She was still so full of life, playing and tossing toys around. Then one morning she woke up, was lethargic, hiding under the bed, not breathing well, and my sister knew it was time. They had to wait all day for the vet to take them, and it was terrible watching her suffer. All this to say, you really did the right thing. Even if you drained the fluidi, it likely would have come back and you would have been in the same position again. It’s such a terrible awful thing to go through. Sorry for your loss.
This had me in tears at work, same thing happened to my rotti in december, was fine then was not. We were given a week left and it would have been a painful week, so we decided to so what was best for him. You did the right thing, and it sucks. Sending you hugs from afar.
Thanks everyone for your supportive comments, it means a lot and helps me realize that I did right by him by not dragging out treatment for something that'd just make him miserable anyways for an extra month or two of time. Not worth it if he's suffering. I've come to terms with everything and thankfully don't feel guilty about it, but I of course miss him dearly and wish he could still be on my couch next to me like old times.
This happened to our doggo when she was 14 years old. It was so sudden. We live in gratitude that she never really had time to suffer and spent all her days happy. She spent that day still walking to the mailbox and sharing apples with my SO. The perfect usual doggie day.
Oh I am so sorry! We lost our 6 year old 1 year ago sudden (just 1 day) and nothing anyone could do. My heart stopped when I read your post. Pain is unbearable💔
I went through this with our cat, she was barely 2, we drained the fluid once, it was all so hard on her. Totally unfair when they pass so young. I'm sorry for your loss
I am so very sorry . We love them so much therefore we hurt so much
“Fluid around the heart” doesn’t just sound like “pericardial effusion”, it’s the literal definition of those words. Peri = around, cardio = heart, effusion = abnormal liquid.
99% it's blood. I've never seen it otherwise. Especially in an older dog, the chances are this is something other than cancer? I wouldn't bet on it. This is bad, fluid around the heart is never a good thing.
This is how I lost my 9 year old hound mix a few years ago...it was so sudden, and the vet said there was not much they could really do. I feel horrible for anyone who has to go through this with their companion.
My dog had early heart failure around 3. They found her heart to be like twice the size it was supposed to be due to fluid build-up. The vet gave her heart medication, and we did a lot of walking. After a few months, she was back to normal. She's now 10 and still going strong and has been on medicationsince. I hope you have a similar situation and get through this.
Yes, I experienced with an older Miniature Schnauzer I had. We decided to humanely euthanize him because we'd have to have the fluid removed more than once, it would keep leaking. He was suffering and in pain. I am sorry this has happened to your dog.
They can't tell what the fluid is ? My 14 year old GSD looked like this, also excessive thirst, and ultrasound showed a dozen fluid pockets in his abdomen, they pulled a few of them and they were blood. They found irregularities with his spleen as well, so hemangiosarcoma was the diagnosis. Unfortunately we let him take his final rest. It was very sudden. He was playing and eating and then 12 hours later was dying.
This just happened to us Wednesday… although our guy had been under chemo for the past seven months and was doing remarkable. But Hemagiosarcoma is so unpredictable and he suddenly had a bleed we couldn’t clot - so they dosed him up with pain meds and we took him home to euthanize him peacefully.
I'm so sorry! unfortunately once they have symptoms of something being wrong its likely too late .. they said we could attempt surgery but that it is low success and a rough recovery especially for older dogs. I ended up having an abdominal ultrasound of my 10 year old dog a few weeks after because I was nervous about being caught off guard again. I might just make it a routine thing every year or two to check everything out.
Hemangiosarcoma is a silent killer. It's very sad and sudden when it happens.
in a way i was glad there was no gradual decline, right up to his last day he was eating and running around happily. i wish he wasn't in the pain he was in the last few hours, but i'm also glad it was sudden and shocking enough for me to react quickly. it's all so rough.
Hermangiosarcoma killed our pit bull. It was heartbreaking. I took him to 3 different vets looking for answers and help but they all said the same thing, surgery that could prolong his life for 6 months but that’s all we could do. That wasn’t enough for us but one gave us supplements that helped him a little and he bounced back for a month but then took a turn again and we made the hardest decision to let him go.
That is so sad. I’m so sorry. It breaks my heart to read of cases like this.
This is what happened to our 11 year old GSD 3 weeks ago and we had to put him down. They said it was most likely a ruptured tumour 😣
Wishing you so much strength. I hope she gets better.
I’m glad you got your dog to a vet. It’s best not to speculate. Wait till your vet has a better understanding of what’s happening
Fluid around the heart can also be congestive heart failure. My little man had that and was caused by an issue with his heart that went undetected. We are approaching a year since his diagnoses and we have reversed all symptoms of CHF. This obviously came at a great cost(many vet visits, a cardiologist & daily medication), it is not cheap but my family thankfully has the means to support him. I pray for you and your pooch. Big hugs.
We are about 7 years since my dog was diagnosed with CHF. Hope you are as blessed as we are. She is still going strong.
The vet told us, “6 month to 10+ years, we don’t really know.” The most upsetting news to receive. Thankfully he’s better than ever and his heart is no longer swollen. Stories like yours are what gave us hope!
Lots of love to you and your furry friend. This is not a good sign. It's up to you what you do next, but take it from someone who spent thousands and sleepless nights at the emergency vet only to lose my 10 year old sheppard a month after her first symptom of Paricardial Infusion. Outside of constant supervision, surgeries, and a LOT of money, your dog is nearing the end of its life. One of the vets we saw suggested I skip all tests and just let nature run its course, but I couldn't accept that, and we did all we could. At the end of the tests and vet visits they couldn't find anything wrong... she was gone only a few weeks later. Make sure she has the best days she can and all the love you can give. My heart goes out to you two.
I’m so so sorry such a thing is happening to your pup and you. When I saw your video just now it reminded me of what my greyhound was doing, how he was breathing. He was in the same situation. Since it was an emergency I did consent to his being tapped, which is to remove the fluid. Very tough thing. It did provide relief but only for about 5 hours. At that point I didn’t want it done a 2nd time, he was already so afraid. It’s devastating to remember, but I would say, based only on my and my dog’s experience, to give him his favorite things, if you have any vanilla ice cream or can make him a burger to enjoy, and sit peacefully with him, just do so now. You’ll also need to talk to the vet to address what will come next, and to avoid suffering. I realize people are mentioning CHF. Based on what you said which is exactly what the vet told us, this is not that. I’m so heartbroken to even say those things but I want you to have some way to quickly process. With my dog it happened also quickly also it was very quick that he just kept getting worse and worse all in a matter of hours. It was a pericardial effusion caused by hemangiosarcoma. As best you can, listen to what the vet is saying and guiding. The decision you need to make, if it’s like my own dog, comes awfully quickly. I wish I had better, more hopeful words to say. The thing is I feel I need to be honest so you can begin trying to process what is more than likely the most, most difficult time of all. I wish I could say otherwise. There can be an infection that can cause an effusion, but based on what your vet said it sounds like something more, and also more likely. I’m working tonight so I probably won’t be able to post but your pup and you will be in my thoughts.🐾🐾
Oh I am so sorry to hear this. I’m sending you strength.
❤️❤️❤️
We experienced this with my dog a few years ago. I'm so sorry you're going through this. Feel free to dm me.
Yes and I'm so sorry. We lost our dog to this last January. Hers was much more further along when we found it out. With ours it affected the conductivity in the heart which made her incredibly short of breath and irregular heart beat. Give your dog all the love you can and prepare to say goodbye. We had a vet visit home and she went off to sleep. Still cry about it now. Wishing you all the best in the world
Same exact thing happened with mine a few months ago. Ultimately she had to be put down. Miss her greatly.
That’s a lot to deal with. Sending good and healing vibes your way. 🫶🏻✨✨✨
Same thing happened to my dog a few months ago. It’s truly unfortunate. If it’s cancer, you can either snuggle with your dog while it suffers from cancer, or you can be brave. Prayers for your pup.
Sorry op, give that puppy lots of love ❤️ and make comfortable. My 13 yo lab was the same and she was euthanized at home on her bed with lots of love around her. I still miss her 2 years later.
Not to give false hope but one of the accounts I follow on Tiktok recently had this happen to one of his huskies and pupper pulled through. He is a lovely guy and speaks really candidly through the whole process so I'd deffo recommend having a look at his videos ❤️ @siberianderpskies
I’m very sorry. Thinking of you and your sweet shepherd.
I really wish the best for you and your pup!!!! It looks a lot like what my dog had and will share some tips. She presented with sudden lethargy, abdominal movement and shortness of breath. If it is pericardial effusion it is VERY important to count their breaths per minute to ensure the fluid is not building back up and causing discomfort. Our vet gave us a pamphlet with how many breaths they should take a minute (15-30) and told us to count once an hour. If it is abnormally high count again a few mins after. if it consistently high call the vet. We did the draining of fluid and monitoring. They told us to prepare for the worst but hope for the best. So everyday we brought her to one of her favourite shops around town, made sure she got a bone or new toy and then threw her a party with some of her favourite 2 and 4 legged friends where she got to eat a turkey dinner. Everyone was optimistic and it was a great time. The vets asked us to keep her heart rate low… but while making sure she still got to play with her favourite friends and toys (just not too crazy). They explained there was no real point in testing and that draining the fluid was giving us an extra few weeks/months to say goodbye and hope for the best, I hope this is not the case for you 💕 It was one of the hardest times of my life, but I can look back at her memories fondly now, even though I’m crying while writing this.
Was the fluid around her heart clear, bloody tinged, or blood?
>She says it’s most likely a mass that burst and could be cancer. I am sorry I don't have better news and I am sorry you are going through this. My first dog I adopted was 8 - 9 years old (estimated). He was an amazing dog, however I only got maybe 2.5 years with him. I came home one day to him breathing like this, and he was not eating. I took him outside to use the bathroom after work and he couldn't go down the stairs, and he peed on the deck (usually he went in the grass). I decided to take him to the emergency vet when he also wasn't eating. He couldn't get inside my car (I drive an SUV) and I had to lift him (he was a 70lb dog) into the hatch trunk because I couldn't lift him high enough to get him in the seat. They did an ultrasound, and they said he did have a mass that was cancerous and it burst and he was internally bleeding. I could tell he was in pain. I ended up letting him go for a multiple reasons. Firstly, his age made any type of surgery risky, which means I could spend a lot for the same outcome as putting him down. Secondly, even if they removed the mass and repaired the internal bleeding which was the immediate concern, that doesn't mean that the cancer didn't spread elsewhere and would cause problems later. I wasn't opposed to spending the money if I thought that he could survive and get more years with him, but realistically I didn't like the odds for the cost of something like that. I understand that other people may make a different choice given similar circumstances, and I respect that. However I also hated the fact that he was obviously in pain from it as well. I don't regret any of my actions. From adopting a senior dog, to putting him down. He was a good dog, and I am glad that I was able to love him for 2 years so he didn't have to sit in the shelter. He previously was in the shelter for 7 or 8 months. And I absolutely love senior dogs. And I am glad that he isn't in pain anymore.
We had that with our girl Gia. It was cancer, and she kept getting fluid around her heart. We had it drained a few times, but she was sick and struggled to stand. We had to say our goodbyes to our beautiful -year-old girl. I'm so sorry you're going through this. Best wishes to you.
Hey OP, just like with human medical questions, if you ask the Internet you'll get the the worst case scenarios. You've done all you can, just love your pup till you get concrete answers then go from there. My dog had something similar and it didn't end well. However, it happened over a day or 2, not suddenly like yours. Also the fluid was blood which I assume the very could tell if it is when they pulled it out. While some symptoms can overlap, it doesn't mean the results will be the same. I wish you and your pup the best!
I did. But it wasn’t cancerous. It was just water. Try to think positive. Best of luck.
😢🙏
Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry! It may be ok- try not to panic yet - I know - easier said than done. Get the procedure so you can know for sure. Good that you noticed! Poor pup! 💞💞💞
So glad you took your dog to the vet in time! Best wishes hope they are better soon.
❤️❤️❤️
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
We experienced something like this with our big guy. I don’t mean to scare you, his was a tumor in his heart and was given a week to live. We took him home and by day three we started to see the start of those symptoms again so we had to put him down to keep him from constantly suffering. I only share to prepare. He was my world and it felt like the rug was ripped right out from under me as he was his normal self days prior then gone. I hope this isn’t the case for you and your baby.🙏🏻❤️🩹 good luck
Oh this made me so sad. I hope she is comfortable and settled and that you are able to pour all your love into her. Sending all the love to your girl 🩷
Exact same thing happened to our GS a couple years ago. Fluid around her heart due to cancer. Unfortunately, it was too late to save her. I am hoping that the outcome is different for your pup 🩷
,
I’m so sorry. Gentle hugs to you and your puppy.
My dog was just diagnosed with a heart condition. It’s scary but as long as you know what to watch for, it could be comfortably manageable. I hope your pup has a bright outcome, it’s the worst when they’re not well.
I'm so sorry 🤎 please take care of yourself and if you can, take some time off work.
Omg!
I did with my German Shepherd. She became lethargic quite suddenly, and her belly started to swell while she would breath heavily. We rushed her to the emergency vet.. so what happened was she had a tumor somewhere around her stomach that had burst, and filled her stomach up with blood. We had to put her down, she was only 10 years old. This has happened to a few dogs I knew, who unfortunately didn't make it either. I'm so sorry OP, I hope your problem is fixable and not as severe as it was for my baby.
I'm so sorry.
I’m so thankful your baby got seen, I wish I knew someone who went through something similar but unfortunately I haven’t 🥺 your baby will be in my thoughts and i will be hoping it’s benign 🥺💚
Oh man, I am extremely sorry! I went through this with my senior four legged best friend. We ended up at the great vet, she was extremely honest, she said there is a surgery that could help but at her age it's stupid, she'd be suffering and she gave us a chance to let her go in dignity, surrounded by ones she loved the most and in peace. I'm still reliving this moment in my head, over and over again. I made a promise to my dog that I will let her go when it's her time, so I kept it. Please keep us in the loop!
In my case for my 10yr old frenchie, we had the same symptoms and it did turn iut to be pericardial effusion, the mass on his heart rubbed against the pericardial sac which caused fluid to build up and cause pressure on the heartt. First step is usually to drain, but without high risk surgery, the pericardial sac will fill with fluid again I opted for the surgery because I have faith in my dog , multiple surgery's before and he's unfazed ( he is a mad little thing). The surgery which was opted was to create a small hole in the sac to allow the fluid to drain should it begin again, that with anti cancer medication, we've been on okay for the two years l, but this is a patch job of a surgery and we can't directly address the mass due to the positioning, long story short, he is still terminal and I'm just enjoying as much time as I can with him. It's a long, very expensive road and I only just about made it happen (still had to pay £3k ontop of mazing out my 8k insurance) I really wish you and your pup all the best, its a blindside of a condition and without it being detected, they could just fall one day and you'd be none the wiser, at least now there's a chance for some options. 🫂
Sounds similar to my dog who ended up having hemangiosarcoma, which is a type of cancer. His was a big mass on his heart. But there are different types of cancers so if it is cancer, hopefully it is something treatable. Could they not tell from the ultrasound if there was a mass or not?
Just went through the same thing with my 13 yr old lab mix. His fluid did not show cancer, but he does have right side heart failure. Started on Vetmedin 4 weeks ago and is spry as a young pup again. Praying for your pup.
just went through this exact thing with my dog, expect it was around her lungs, so pleural effusion. there was also a mass on her stomach. unfortunately we caught it too late and the fluid wasnt able to be drained due to fibrin. we also could not afford further treatment, so our only choice was predisone (which did help a lot except the side effects were not the greatest) and gabapentin for any pain. it helped her be comfortable and manage her breathing and gave us some good last weeks together. unfortunately we just had to say goodbye to her today. if you can afford treatment, draining the fluid should be able to help. i dont want to scare you and say youll have the same experiences as we did, but if you have any concerns/questions please feel free to ask. we werent able to test the fluid either so we never found out if it truly was cancer, but they believed that was most likely the cause. hopefully the vet will start steroids to get things going and the test results will give you more insight on what the fluid maybe. best of luck to you and your pup!
I’m really sorry, and I hope you’re dealing with something less severe…this happened to our 8 year old shepherd this year. He woke in the night and laid back downstairs with labored breathing. We took him in and his heart was so round. We said goodbye, we would just be chasing an inevitable decision. We miss you Zeus.
This same exact thing happened to our dog 2 weeks ago. She got suddenly lethargic and was breathing like this. The xray found her heart was enlarged and was surrounded by fluid, and they also found that she had metasticized cancer in her lungs. We chose to put her down. Our vet was not hopeful about draining fluid from around the heart without knowing what had ruptured. I hope things go better for you.
Literally just went through this with my dog 4 days ago we had to put down. He was a 15 year old miniature dachshund. Over the span of a week he was pooping mucus and a little blood, quit eating and started coughing. When we took him in it was the same diagnosis plus a tumor on the spleen. The pulmonary embolism was causing the fluid and ultimately why they said he'd have to be put down. It has been very hard, he was old of course but these symptoms ramped up out of nowhere and suddenly we are having to put him down. I hope its better for you. I am so sorry and will be thinking of your dog.
This happened to my 11 year old girl almost exactly a year ago. From what we were told, you can test and get answers, but it’s just prolonging the inevitable. So sorry.
Very similar to my dog. Had a mass on her liver that burst. Put her down that day. Went from running in the morning to being completely immobile except for shivering and panting by 4pm.
Yes. It is generally a sign of an enlarged heart which is treatable but not curable. My good boy had enlargement and a blown heart valve, he was happy and comfortable. I miss him
Sounds like heart failure, maybe kidneys or otherwise. Usually medication can help them survive with this condition for a bit longer. Please keep us posted and I hope she gets all the loves and attention in the worldz
Praying it’s all good and your dog recovers quickly !
I am so sorry you have to go through this. We had the same situation with ours. They removed the fluid around the heart and put her on some medication. Unfortunately she would not eat the pills. 3 weeks later we had to let her go. Hoping for a good outcome for you.
I'm really sorry to hear that. My family lost a dog to something similar in 2021. The vet's drained it once, and we had another month to more or less say our goodbyes before it came back and when they tried to drain it again there was too much blood in the fluid (she was bleeding into the space), so we had to say goodbye. It was a horrible shock because her breed usually lived 13+ years, and she was only 8. The worst part of responsible pet ownership is accepting when it's time to say goodbye.
I really hope it’s not cancer very glad you brought her to the vet praying she is okay
So so sorry. Just lost my dog to this terrible cancer (hemangiosarcoma). Wishing you the best.
Sending you and your fur baby lots of love and healing wishes ❤️❤️❤️ please keep us posted!
Yes, my dog was diagnosed with cancer . We got him surgery, but the cancer was still there even after surgery. We than decided to put him down since he was suffering
I’m so so sorry OP. I hope pulling the fluid out helps your baby to experience less pain. I’m so glad she has good parents looking out for her.
We just lost our old boy to this in January. It was cancer.
<3 So sorry, OP. Hope your sweet friend is okay.
Hi. This happened to me and my dog (9-year-old Golden Retriever) last year during Christmas. Kinda similar, the vet said there was blood around her heart that needed to be removed but it was going to happen again. They just gave us some meds for her heart and she made it for three weeks until she finally passed away at home with us. I'm sorry you're going through this.
Oh gosh I hope not! I hope things turn out ok and pup makes a full recovery.
Is it just her heart? Did they talk about pericardial effusion, DCM, anything like that? Yes, I’ve seen heart issues like this and in GSDs. I just want to give you a heads up, they can do a centesis and take some of that fluid out- but it comes back.
I had that with one of my greyhounds. As soon as the vet drew up the fluid, it was very obviously blood and other gunk. She was 15 years old and could have had surgery etc. But I made the decision for her that she had enough. I am sorry that you are going through this. It is not fun. I bawled the whole way home - and then some.
Okay I’m going to say this and understand that I’m in no way saying this is your situation, only sharing mine. I had a dog with similar symptoms. Mine was also coughing. We thought it was kennel cough. Turns out it was the same thing. They drained the fluid and said we should monitor because all of the tests they did couldn’t find anything. Fa st forward, it happened again about 6 months later. This time, the options given were to just keep on going this way or to install a port so we could drain it at home since the cause was unknown. We chose the surgery. When they got in there, they found cancer. Mesothelioma. I’ll spare you the long story but we installed the port and he eventually went on chemo. This went on for roughly 4 years. It was not a cheap endeavor. For us, it was worth it. He tolerated it all very well and died at a ripe age of 13! I’m sorry you are dealing with this! There are so man things it could be, I hope you have some good facilities near like we do. If we didn’t have a cancer center near by, I’m not sure it would have turned out the way it did.
So sorry!
Hug your dog for me. Poor girl.
Exact same thing happened to my 4 year old cane corso. We had to put him down at the emergency vet about 5 minutes after we got him there. He was dying in front of us before we could get him into the emergency room for the vet to look at him. I hope you have a better outcome and hope your dog gets healthy again
Any update ?
My dog had a heart ailment and this stuff was miraculous seriously Pet Well Being- Young At Heart. Check with vet. Best of luck for a 100% full recovery!
The breathing and tensing of the belly indicates pain. Please see an emergency vet this evening.
My dog was doing this and sadly she has a mass in her stomach. She’s 13.
I’m going through this now. I’m really sorry ❤️
Thank you. I’m sorry to you too.
Yes, that sounds emergent to me. I'd get to the vet ASAP.
Vet time, now.
Yes, definitely an emergency. ER vet now!!
You are such a good parent and brought them in to get help. You have done all you can until the results come in. Lots of love and rest will help you all through the night. My heart goes out to you. Big hug from an internet stranger.
My dog did this and had a mass on his spleen it did not go well , we rushed him to emergency. Go now!
This recently happened to my dog and he started vomiting. Ended up havinga prostate infectionthat required surgery and antibiotics
Tail between the legs is your first clue something is wrong. Could be bloat. Definitely go to vet immediately
I’m sending my love OP, from personal experience and after reading some of your comments you will have some hard moments ahead. Your pup knows that it is loved, but if your vet tells you they feel that it’s to old for surgery listen to them. There is nothing crueler then to prolong another’s suffering for one’s own satisfaction <3
YES, VET NOW! Looks like it could be bloat which is deadly. Hope your baby is ok!
Er vet now please!!
I hope your dog will be okay ❤️
OPs dog turned 12 years old 2 days ago, thats a relatively long time for a shepherd OP, and no matter what news it is, know you did well and the dog knows it is/was loved and taken care of. Some conditions we cant do anything about unfortunately even with advancement in Vet medicine
I'm going through almost the same thing right now. Blood tests this morning show she is anemic. Going back in an hour for ultrasound. Vet said it could be spleen issues or cancer. She is 10 and a border collie/bouvier. Started with stomach cramps and burps so I thought it was something she ate, it went away in a few hours. She is still eating and pooping. But in the last 2 days she has had 3 spells of lethargy, stomach cramping like your video shows and groaning/burping.
Vet now do not wait
Lethargy is never good don't ignore it
That’s laboured breathing. You need a vet now.
My cat had exactly the same symptoms as you're dog, the breathing especially. unfortunately she had to be put down due to heart problems that i didnt catch sooner . Not saying this to scare you but something as small as this can be something serious, definitely sounds like a trip to the vets!
So sorry 😔good luck to your pup
Something similar happened to my late dog and it was Hemangiosarcoma 😕 thank you for taking them to the vet and savor your time with them in case
This breaks my heart. I am saying a prayer for your dog.
Better safe then sorry, my baby boy started acting weird and I knew something was wrong but everyone told me he would be fine. I was right and he had eaten something while I was asleep and had an intestinal blockage. I was EXTREMELY fucking lucky as he didn’t have his surgery until TWO WEEKS later (the vets couldn’t give us a straight answer on if the foreign object was actually there or not due to it not showing on X-rays and they wanted $7,000 to save his life. Luckily a rescue did the surgery for free especially since he wasn’t even a year old yet 😭) My pup is fine now but I urge you to just get him seen as the quicker you act, the less hell your baby and you will face
Thanks for posting and bringing awareness to this. Hope your dog gets well ❤️
That’s abdominal effort breathing and sign of respiratory compromise. Been a vet for 19 yrs. Go see a vet.
3/6/24 OP Here- [Updated Post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/DogAdvice/comments/1b7ql6u/update_to_my_dog_suddenly_became_lethargic_today/)
Omgbis it that dog flu
Awww 😢
😢
Why are you wasting time on Redit….Vets now please
If you have concerns, take her to a vet
I'm sorry but it's v unlikely your dog will benefit from any tests etc. The kindest thing would be to let them go.
Your first response should be a vet not reddit
why is this downvoted???
Yes, a splenic abruption. Vet now!
Sending you love and strength
See an emergency vet!!!! Please :( prayers
I’m so sorry. Sending love and hugs to you and your puppy. ♥️
Emergency visit, rule out possibility of spontaneous pneumo, secondary to pathology.
Yeah had this happen it was a mass that burst in his stomach and I lost him on the way to the vet :/
Op I am so sorry for the news you received and I hope they can get things taken care of. I understand your fear and feeling lost. Its crazy how one moment everything is fine and the next it all changes. I’m praying for the best outcome for your pup. Good luck
My CKCS had heart failure and started to act like this one day. I rushed her to the vet where they found fluid built up and told me she shouldn’t have been taking walks. Unfortunately she crossed the rainbow bridge that day. Thanks to Covid, I never got to say goodbye.
Yes
I hope the best for you and your pup :( ❤️
Yes this is considered a top priority emergency, meaning they will see you first before anyone else
Heartbreaking 💔 I’m so sorry .
Poor baby, I’m so sorry 😢
My dog had the same thing before she passed. Search up pulmonary effusion. Fluid surrounding the heart
Glad to see you took it to the vet. Lesson everyone should learn is as a dog gets older, everything should be considered important and needing to be checked out ASAP. Remember dogs age at a very fast rate compared to us, so them not seeing a vet each year is like 4-7 years for them. Lots happens in their bodies very quickly. I hope the news is good but I've had two of these situations, last year and a few years ago... Both ended up being heart cancer. One survived two weeks and the other two days. In both cases, the thought was that it was UTI or pneumonia or something else until those fixes didn't help and went in for X-rays/ultrasound and found the fluid was around the lungs/heart and not IN them. The first dog with heart cancer went to a specialist hospital to stabilize his heart, and I was asking if I missed any signs or just ignored something and was told that one of their employees would have her German shepherd scanned every three months since she had access to all the machines. It developed heart cancer and died between the screenings when it was ~7-8. Certain things can pop up and be devastating very quickly. Just prepare for the worst news...if not now, it could be soon. Best case scenario it's something you can treat and you'll be much more aware and appreciative to have your buddy for longer. But this isn't good news. Also, find out what the pain/discomfort level is, if he has something serious. One of my dogs had heart cancer and I was told by multiple vets that it wasn't painful at all for him, just that his heart was not working right. So I held onto him for the full two weeks, carrying him on stairs, helping him up, driving to places with good views and just hanging out with him. I didn't find it a need to put him down right away since he wasn't in pain and I wasn't ready for him to go. One morning he clearly had lost too much muscle to be comfortable and had to make that tough call. Last comment for whenever the worst news is actually a reality... There are lots of in-home euthanasia places. It's awesome, both times the vets were insanely nice and comforting and the dogs got to be with their siblings and friends on their favorite spot in the house. Much better than taking them to a vets office where it's generally not a relaxing, comforting feeling for them.
Oh noo ! I hope he can get help without the worst case scenario coming from the labs I pray he gets better. Nothing stresses me out more than my baby being sick .especially at her age. Vets are ultra expensive as well . I wish they had REAL insurance like we do.
She is using her muscle to pump as she is not getting enough oxygen it looks like. Depending on cause it can be medication or surgery. Either way now it's emergency visit to vet to diagnose
This could be that unnamed virus. VET NOW.
Yes this is an emergency. Severely labored breathing and lethargy. You should be at your vet immediately
My old dog had this and it ended up being cancer. I can't remember the exact type but it was due to the absence of ref blood cells in her body. From diagnoses to death we ended up getting 2 years out of her. She died at 15
Could be heart, could be lungs, could be diabetes. I wouldn’t wait though
I’m so sorry for your loss.
I would get it checked just in case
I'm so sorry about your dog. Out of curiosity. What is your dogs breed? The fur coloring looks exactly like my rescue. We don't know the breed.
Thinking of you and your sweet pup. It’s hard to be strong in times like these. The loss feeling hurts , be there for your pup and give them lots of pats and love. They have the best owner that looks out for them. Send me a dm if need to chat. Take care
My deepest prayers for you and your dog 🙏 🐕.
I'm extremely sorry for the pain you and your pup are going through. I hope and pray that she recovers and is not suffering. Please stay strong and keep her best interests in whatever you have to do. She knows that you love her and she loves you with all that she has. Best wishes to you both always.
🙏🏻
YES GO TO ER
Hi! I'm in the same situation with my (almost) 14 y.o. lab. Her diagnosis is about heart, epatic, intestinal and artrosis problematics. It all happened in about 3 weeks, and I still can't realise what's happening, I'm scared about her situation. I went to the vet because first in the morning, she couldn't "wake up" all her legs and she was having difficulties walking - 3 RXs with a lot of artrosis, my poor little thing. Anti-inflammatories and gastroprotector After the check up visit, she started having heavy breath and coughing, so I booked an ECG and found out about all her internal problems, first of all the liquid around her heart. My vet suggested me some medicines and last night I began with the therapy, but at the moment I cannot see any differences (I know it's too early to know, but seeing her in that state make me feel really sad). I feel tremendously helpless. I hope things will get better for yours and mine ❤️ (I'm sorry, english is not my first language)
I’m so sorry OP. I know it might be tempting just to throw money at the vet but depending on the age of your fur baby it might not be the smartest decision. So many people treat their pets like family and they truly are but they also live for a shorter time than we do unfortunately. Hope all goes well.
Wishing your pup the best! Sending you strength through this situation 🤍
Yes this is an emergency drop what you are doing and take her to the vet immediately, out of hours emergency vet if needed but go
That is scary. I wish I had advice . Hoping for the best outcome for you.
This happened to my dog at age 7, diagnosed with HSA, passed shortly after surgery
Yes take to vet asap
Twisted stomach
My heart dog had this. His other symptoms were vomiting and lethargy. Diagnosed with heart failure and passed about four weeks later.
Probably Taco bell
I sincerely hope that you went to the vet asap instead of posting online
Definitely an emergency looks like bloat
I'm so sorry your journey together seems to be coming to an end. We love them so much, it's like losing a family member. It *is* losing a family member.