Hi Bellasmom! I hope you’re still around on the forum. This thread may end up being a godsend for my Rosie (5 years old, female). She has been dealing with the exact same symptoms as Bella for the last month. We’ve paid for x-rays, an ultrasound, a CT scan, an echocardiogram, blood work, and fluid testing, as well as 3 thoracentesis chest drainings (about every 10-14 days). There are no masses or signs of cancer or any heart issues. Her blood work is beautiful. The vets seem to be at a loss and are not hopeful. As our next option, they want to do a biopsy to test for mesothelioma and at the same time install a pleural port. I want to do everything I can to help my sweet Rosie as she is only 5! Can you update me on Bella on how she is doing now 2+ years later? And any advice you have that I can present to the vet would be so helpful! It looks like maybe we should think about installing 2 ports instead of 1 and then start Rosie on prednisone after the biopsy. I’m going to call the vet tomorrow to let them know what I’ve found on this thread!
Pleural Effusion- Any experiences?
- Thread starter Bellasmom
- Start date
Hi Rosiesdad,
Sorry, I haven't been following so I apologize for the late response. I hope Rosie is doing good. We said goodbye to our Bella a few days ago, the heart disease got pretty bad and her lungs were filling with fluid and not responding the medications to get rid of it. Her pleural effusion came back with a vengeance, huge amounts of fluid like 500 cc's every day then dropped down to 200-300 every 3-4 days. Bella's was idiopathic but in hindsight, I think it was the heart all along. I would get a cardiology consult to see if there are any heart issues, like mitral valve thickening or left ventricle issues. If there is, even if its minor, monitor it and ask about starting Vetmedin early. I honestly think all the vets were consumed and overly focused on the pleural effusion and forgot/minimized the heart issue until she went into congestive heart failure in July 2018. So check the heart, be alert for a cough or cough with a sneeze, and any decrease in activity or getting out of breathe. If they can't find the reason behind Rosie's pleural effusion, I'd suspect a heart issue based upon my experience and the extensive research I've done previously. I wish you luck with Rosie and if you have any questions, please just let me know. All the best
PS- You said there were no heart issues but keep in mind Bella did not have a murmur which is the "first sign". So even if there was no murmur, do an echocardiogram/ultrasound. Trust me, you want to rule it out and ANY thickening of the mitral valve needs to be watched and addressed.
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Caro
Moderator
Bellasmom, I am so sorry you lost your Bella. You worked so hard for her, you were such a good mum.
Thank you Caro, I appreciate your kind words. I miss her terribly and as hard as it was, my love for her guided me so she didn't suffer. They're never with us long enough
