Dog ate chocolate?

 ask a vet

Prognosis if dog has pulmonary edema.

Species: Dog
Breed: pinscher
Age: 8-11 years
Hello Dr. Marie,

I´m from Brazil, so, first of all I´m sorry about my poor english.
Well, I have a 11 years old female pinscher that about one month ago, started coughing a lot suddenly and had syncopes too. She was breathing with so much dificulty. I took her to a veterinary and with the check-up the veterinary sad that she has a heart desease(mitral valve)and had a pulmonar edema. She has a little bit of hyphothyroidism too.
I´d like to know Dr Marie, with honesty, how many time my little dog is going to live, considering that I have been searching in websites of canine cardiology and some of them claim that after the first pulmonar edema, the desease is developed and the dogs have a very short time of life. In many cases about 6 months till 1 year of life only. I just would like to know if this affirmation is true. I´d be thankful if you could answer me.
Thank you.


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for your question. Your English is just fine!

The textbooks will tell us that if a dog with heart disease develops pulmonary edema that they will not live long. When I first graduated from vet school I would tell people this a lot.

However, as I got more experienced I found that this is not always the case! I have many dogs in my practice that have lived 6 months or even 1-2 years with significant heart disease as long as we get them on the right medication.

Don't give up on Menininha just yet! Your vet will help you to decide if the treatments are not working, but we have really good heart medications that work well for dogs these days.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Want to receive pet coupons, vet advice and info on new pet products in your inbox?

* indicates required

We'll only send you great stuff, never spam. Unsubscribe any time.

Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

Search for similar questions:

ask a vet

Popular questions...

Wound on ear won't heal. My puppy accidentally scratched her inner ear, the wound scabbed over but now she... (18310 views)

Limping dog. Hello, My dog is a GS mix - she is just over 1 yr old and weighs approx. 70 lbs. ... (21723 views)

Dog ate absorbent chicken pad. My dog just ate one of those absorbent pads from a chicken meat tray......would this... (88254 views)

Allergy treatment. I know Memphis has allergies. Within the last month he has started itching his eyes.... (9355 views)

Not eating, panting. Dear Dr. Marie, I have three dogs all together. Daisy is the alpha of the group.... (15763 views)

Itchy coat. my dog itches and her coat seems to be popped up at various places, have cheched... (8537 views)

Where is dog's vulva? My husband resqued a blue tick in the National Forest that was being chased by 2... (58577 views)

Red sores in front of cat's ear. Hi Dr. Haynes Thank you for offering this service and reviewing my question. My... (59172 views)

PNST in a dog. My Jack Russell (8 years old) was just diagnosed with a PNST. Which was discovered... (14122 views)

Did neutering affect dog's bladder? My dog is 10 months old and was neutered 3 weeks ago. He was on antibiotics prior to... (20630 views)

See all questions...

Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.