When you say Tommys heart is racing your dont think the vets is meaning arrymthias .... ( sorry poor spelling ) Pepsi my Lab had DCM and was treated by Martin . but since then has gone into congested heart failure and her heart races like mad ... over the past 3 weeks i ve been taking Pepsi heart rate every 4 hours and on average her heart rate at sleep is 140 bpm after a walk/ excitment is goes up to 260 bpm ..... and was told by Emma Davis at the RVC that causes her heart to race .... Martin is a good heart vet but I would if you could get referred to the Royal Vets Collage ...... I found out more about Pepsi with them than when I went to Martin as RVC picked up on more problems with Pepsi's Heart ........
Feel Free to MSN me if you need to chat and discuss further if it helps you .... I ve been there and done it and going through it now with Pepsi .....
Thanks Shani - I've just read your reply - I knew there was someone on here who had a dog with a heart problem but couldn't remember who.
Basically what happened is that about an hour after their tea they had all settled down for a snooze and I suddenly noticed that Tommy was breathing really hard - sort of snoring/wheezing sound. I called out to him, no response - his eyes were open but he didn't move at all. Very unusual, so I moved him from the settee hoping that he was having a strange dream experience. He moved about three steps and lay down again. The noise had stopped but his breathing was very fast and you could see his heart was racing and looked like it was about to come through his chest. I compared the speed with one of the other labs and there was just no comparison at all. So I bundled him in the car and raced to the vets. From the start of this to the vet examining him was at the very most 30 mins and by this time I could tell his heart had slowed down a lot. Vet measured it at 160 - which she said wouldn't worry her too much if I had thought was normal for him.
However this is not the first time I had thought his breathing/heart beat to be unusual but was by far the worst. Other times it has been whilst on a walk and he has lay down and had a rest - despite his activity not being too athletic for a 2 year old. We thought either heat or not enough energy from his food so we changed him over to Burns working dog variety. I have to say though that I have been secretly worrying over him which is why I took him straight to vets this time.
This and a few other signs led my vet to read up on possible causes which gave initial diagnosis - he was on beta blockers but the specialist said to stop (only had 2).
Thank you for recommendation though - am just off to Google it now.
He seems to have been ok yesterday and today but we are being careful not to exert him - his heart does seem to beat very hard but not sure if that is because I am now completely paranoid.
Thanks again for replying - its so good to know someone around has more experience and is dealing with it. My last dog had diabetes (before I found this forum) and that was awful as I didn't know anyone else who knew anything.
No worries just glad I can help .... Tommy sounds just like what Pepsi did at the start and she was around 2 and a half ..... Has he ever collasped on you ? and does his gums and tougue look pale and is his feet cool to the touch ???? and does he get hot ?????
Martin should get to the bottom of it rather quickly like he did with Pepsi your find he may ask you to go home with a Holter on for a few days and to send back to him and Tommy will have to have a ECG and X rays and Scan on his heart so he will be fine no pain or discomfort ....
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:38 pm Post subject: Update from specialists - Tommy's heart
Phew - after a sleepless night and a day spent feeling completely sick (me not him) Tommy has had his ultrasound and ECG at the Specialists and the structure/action of his heart is as it should be.
They think he possibly has been experiencing "Exercise Induced Collaspe Syndrome" although it isn't possible to prove this. They have suggested keeping him really well hydrated on walks/during exercise etc. and using treats to keep his blood sugar up. Eventually then we'll learn what and how much he can do without causing problems.
Unfortunately this diagnosis does not account for the incident which led me to take him to the vets in the first place, so he is wearing a monitor for the next few days to measure his heartbeat. I have to keep his usual routine up and keep a diary so they can check whether the rate recorded is "normal" when I send it back to them.
So good news and I feel reassured, but am none the wiser.......! But I'd really like to say thanks for the good wishes, it made a difference especially when OH was not here.
Join the club babe Pepsi has this too ....... Its mainly keeping him cool and making sure he doesnt chase balls and other dogs around to much as this could cause a collaspe ......
I put this on the Forum once I knew Pepsi had it
Exercise induced collaspe details .
WHO GETS IT?
The syndrome of exercise intolerance and collapse (EIC) is being observed with increasing frequency in young adult Labrador Retrievers. Most, but not all, affected dogs have been from field-trial breedings. Black, yellow and chocolate Labradors of both sexes can be affected. Signs become apparent in young dogs as they encounter heavy training or strenuous activity - usually between 7 months and 2 years of age.(average 14 months). In dogs used for field trials, this usually coincides with the age at which they enter heavy training. Dogs of either sex and any color can be affected. Littermates and other related dogs are commonly affected , but depending on their temperament and lifestyle they may or may not manifest symptoms. Affected dogs are usually described as being extremely fit, muscular, prime athletic specimens of their breed with an excitable temperament and lots of drive.
DESCRIPTION OF COLLAPSE
Affected dogs can tolerate mild to moderate exercise, but 5 to 20 minutes of strenuous exercise induces weakness and then collapse. Severely affected dogs may collapse whenever they are exercised to this extent - other dogs only exhibit collapse sporadically and the factors important in inducing an episode have not yet been well established.
The first thing noted is usually a rocking or forced gait. The rear limbs then become weak and unable to support weight. Many affected dogs will continue to run while dragging their back legs. In some dogs this progresses to forelimb weakness and occasionally to a total inability to move. Some of the dogs appear to be incoordinated and have a loss of balance, particularly as they recover. Most collapsed dogs are totally conscious and alert, still trying to retrieve. Others will appear stunned or disoriented during the episode.
It is common for the symptoms to worsen for 3 to 5 minutes even after exercise has been terminated. NOTE: A few affected dogs have died during exercise or while resting immediately after an episode of exercise-induced collapse so the dog's exercise should ALWAYS be stopped at the first hint of incoordination or wobbliness
Excitement.
Dogs that exhibit the symptoms of EIC are most likely to have intense, excitable personalities, and it is apparent that their level of excitement plays a role in inducing the collapse. There are some severely affected dogs who, if they are very excited, do not require much exercise to induce the collapse. Dogs with EIC are most likely to collapse when engaging in activities that they find very exciting or stressful. This can include retrieving of live birds, participation in field trials, training drills with electric collar pressure and quartering for upland game.
If you need to talk to me at any time please E mail and I ll be more than happy to help ......
Good to hear Tommy doesn`t have what the vet initially suspected, though as you say it still leaves you not knowing what the problem is, hope the monitor he`s wearing will shed some light on his problem and enable them to be able to treat him
Which is which in your pic of Tommy and Sam, is he the lighter of the two?
WEll at least it seems as though it is good news about Tommy although the exact cause remains unknown!
I hope that the monitor will shed some lilght on the situation... It must be so worrying not knowing exactly what the matter is... but fingers crossed for a p[ositive result!
Hi - Tommy (2) is the light coloured one on the left in the photo.
Sam the other dog is 10 1/2 and my failed foster. He was recovering from surgery for a really big hernia which is why they are surrounded by cushions and quilts in the car.
(sorry I can't work out the photo thing properly and keep getting the box surrounding them)
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