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(If you have a special story you would like to share with us about your pets, please feel free to call us at 507-524-3748 e-mail us at allpets@hickorytech.net.)

Whiskey with mom Bonnie Roalson

Whiskey, happy as ever

WHISKEY!!!

Whiskey is a very intelligent Blue Healer and belongs to Bonnie Roalson of St. Clair, MN. Whiskey came to Bonnie in 1998 when her son Andy moved home – bringing Whiskey with him (Andy actually named her). By the time Andy decided to move in with a friend Bonnie had fallen in love with Whiskey and let Andy know that it was no problem for him to leave – as long as he left Whiskey with her! So they have been pals ever since.

Over the years Whiskey has developed occasional health issues of the routine variety – occasional ear infection, teeth that needed cleaning, etc. And Bonnie has made sure that she got whatever treatment she needed to live a good life. However in December 2008 Bonnie brought Whiskey to All Pets Clinic – for about a week she had been under the weather and had been coughing, at times hard enough to vomit. She was worried that Whiskey might have pneumonia.

We found that Whiskey had a significant heart murmur as well as several other symptoms of heart disease. We took chest x-rays and could see that Whiskey’s heart was enlarged, and that there was fluid build up in her lungs, and that her enlarged heart was pressing on her windpipe. We decided to start two types of medication and wait with doing an EKG.

Heart problems are not uncommon in dogs when they reach their senior years. The two most common symptoms include coughing and “no energy”. I often hear something like “she used to run after every rabbit and beg to play fetch for hours, now she comes and lies down after a few minutes of playing”.

Heart disease in dogs commonly causes the heart to enlarge, resulting in the heart muscles not working as well as they used to and also results in the heart valves not sealing as tight as they used to. A heart murmur is actually the sound of blood moving backward past valves that are not sealing tightly. Because of this, the heart does not pump blood as fast as it should, resulting in fluid buildup in the lungs (causing coughing) and poor circulation (blood carries oxygen and if there is not enough oxygen reaching the body then the dog tires out quickly = “no energy”). Also, as the heart size increases and it presses on the windpipe, that stimulated coughing as well.

We started Whiskey on two medications – one to reduce the fluid buildup in Whiskey’s lungs, and one to help improve Whiskey’s circulation. Whiskey improved immediately. Since then we have had to adjust the dosages of both medications periodically. Remember that heart disease is a progressively worsening problem. The medication treats the symptoms allowing Whiskey to lead a good quality of life but does not cure the heart disease. Whiskey’s heart will continue to get worse, but slowly because the medication slows that process down a lot

Whiskey is a great dog and due to Bonnie’s quick action is living a good quality of life in spite of a potentially debilitating disease, and we think she deserves to be our May Pet of the Month.

Dr. Tim Klein

Our Hours
Monday – Thursday 7:15-12:00 and 1:00-5:30
Friday 7:15-12:00 1:00-5:00
Every other Saturday 8:00-12:00

All Pets Medicine, Surgery and Rehabilitation Clinic, PA
106 Hwy 22 South
P.O. Box 477
Mapleton, MN 56065
507-524-3748

After-Hours Emergency
(507) 524-3748