The Pissquiggler's Dilemma

Wednesday morning, Buddy beagle started wheezing, like he was choking on something. I dashed to the computer and looked to see if there is a Heimlich maneuver for dogs and found that there is (as well as animal CPR). I followed the instructions for the Heimlich, but he kept on wheezing. We thought it might just be somthing partially obstructing his airway, but too far down for us to see, so Howie rushed him to the vet's office.

They did an x-ray and found no obstruction, but they did find out he has fluid on his lungs and an enlarged heart. Howie had been spraying the basement walls down with the 50/50 solution of bleach/water and hadn't yet opened the windows upstairs. The fumes were pretty horrendous, but that wouldn't have caused this episode with Buddy. It might have aggravated it, however, and caused the wheezing.

The vet has him on an antibiotic for 10 days, thinking the fluid on his lungs could be caused by an infection. He said Buddy's heart could be enlarged from having to work so hard because of the fluid. We're to take him back for another checkup and x-rays when his antibiotics are finished. If his heart is still enlarged, he'll need to be on heart medication.

Okay, so you have to get the picture here. Of our trio, Sarah's had emergency surgery for bladderstones and eats prescription food, Emma takes estrogen to help with her bladder control, and now Buddy may have to be on heart medication for the rest of his doggie days.

Do we have pets or patients here? A little of both, but I guess they fit right in with Howie and his surgically-enhanced spine and my funky sinuses. Welcome to our world! We're all in this together, baby.