Merlin has heart failure

S

seashel

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I had a distressing call from my Auntie last week. She had found a small lump on Merlin and taken him to the vets immediatly to be checked. However, the vet was unable to give a diagnosis on the lump and also diagnosed the poor boy with heart failure and recommended he have an heart scan.:(

He is booked in with the specialist for his scan on wednesday and we will then know how severe the problem is and hopefully be able to manage it with medication. He has been given the usual heart meds to be getting on with for the time being (furusimide, ACE inhibitors etc) but is having good and bad days. He will wake up and cough up some fluid onto the floor sometimes and while he's had the cough for a long time, the fluid is new.

I saw Merlin on saturday and it as one of his good days, he looked bright and bouncy and I had a chance to look at the lump. It's definitly below the skin and I wondered if it could be an inguinal hernia or a fatty lump? Certainly it doesn't seem to be bothering him or painful when touched. It seems to have appeared quite quickly and the vet is just recommended observation. Hopefully if it is a hernia it won't need surgery as that is a concern given his age.
 
Prayers going out for Mr. Merlin. Please continue to keep us updated. Thanks.

PS I believe a side effect from ace inhibitors is coughing.
 
Poor Merlin! My parents beagle developed a similar lump very quickly at around 12 years old and it turned out to be just a fatty lump. She was also diagnosed with heart failure a few years back but is still going strong at 14 years of age!

Hopefully it is the same or at least something not requiring any surgery. Sending positive thoughts for Merlin!
 
I hope the lump is nothing serious and his heart condition can be managed with medicine. Sending good thoughts for Merlin!
 
Oh dear I am so sorry to hear about Merlin! Such a wrench when they get sick. I hope his heart can be managed with meds. If the lump seems soft, and moveable, it may be a fatty tumor - where is it located? Asta suddenly had one appear on her right front leg - wrist area, and I about had a heart attack over it till they got it out and proved it was only the fatty tumor.

Sending you lots of good thoughts and wishes for Merlin's stabilization.
 
Thanks for your good wishes everyone, we're keeping everything crossed for wednesday that they don't find anything too serious on the scan or the ECG which he's also having.

The lump is quite small, about an inch or less in diameter and doesn't seem hard. It is on the hairless belly area and is only apparent by feeling when he is standing, so not visually obvious.

I've also suggested to my auntie that Merlin could take a natural heart tonic remedy containing hawthorn as that is supposed to boost cardiac function. Revel has a grade 2 heart murmer so I'm also considering putting him on it to stave off future problems.
 
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