Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Shoned Hawksworth — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 03:33:41 GMT

[quote user="denise laughlin"]

Meet Spud, the love of my life and MUCH adored rescue dog. NOT insured and diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy last year- taken on as a 'healthy dog'and collapsed on day 7 of his 10 day trial. Chronic skin problems (as expected with this breed) are the least of his worries. I adore this guy and knew he was with me till the end within the first day of him being home but I would advise you think think VERY carefully before taking on such a young dog with severe medical conditions. The money, the commitment, the tie of never being able to travel or relocate (we live in HK and he is not fit enough to fly home). He can't go walking/hiking or for days out but his combination of meds means he can't be in the house for more than a few hours (also think of having to separate the dogs daily to allow your own dog to get enough exercise but allow the new guy to rest) . His cardio says he is 'at high risk of dropping dead at any minute'..think how many people don't volunteer to look after him for me and how much extra boarding facilities charge to medicate! Think very carefully! Bear in mind there are HUNDREDS of dogs needing homes out there, literally hundreds. Obviously each to their own but this is my experience..it doesn't detract from the fact that he is the coolest dog I've ever met and that I am glad that I can be there to make his end comfy but had I know he was sick before I took him on..would I have still taken him..hmmmm.

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Of course you would still have taken him Denise , for Sir Spuddington is super handsome and lovely and you would have had an empty space in your life without him he has been worth every penny and you know it xx

It's the same with Eric, 1 year old JRTx witha grade 6 heart mumur, multiple heart defects, cryptorchid, bad skin, undershot jaw, deaf in one ear and brain damaged - i knew some of this before and i took him anyway and would do it again, he is full of character and a wondeful little boy - who else but vet nurses would take these guys on

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Nicole Paprotny — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 23:33:17 GMT

As someone has already said, it's your decision as to whether you are willing to take him on or not. From personal experience, rescue dogs with life threatening illnesses can be very rewarding pets. I took on a young boxer 3 years ago when he was 8 months old because he was going to be put to sleep. He has chronic kidney disease and his previous owner couldn't afford to treat him. My boss told me I was crazy as he would probably only last 6 months if I was lucky, but he is still with us today. He is the most loveable dog and I can't imagine life without him now but we just try to make his time as happy as possible. Good luck in whatever you decide :)

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Fuzzyduck — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 22:38:47 GMT

A small VSD usually has a good prognosis so may not be too bad at all :) good luck with the decision making

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Steph Smith BSc(hons) RVN — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 21:07:55 GMT

Thanks so much for your replies. Thought you may like to hear the cardiac report.

Found out today it is a hole in the heart, there is a (relatively) normal flow of blood, no medication has been prescribed, just an annual recheck with a cardiologist, one of our nurses is married to a RCVS cardiac diplomate.

Also I have not put any pressure onto Kev, he is not the type who would fold under pressure or change his mind to suit me, and we are both feeling more positive about the scenario.

So must put our thinking caps on again!

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Celine — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 07:45:08 GMT

Sorry, b****y smartphone... i was just going to add that if you "talk your other half around" you are just setying yourself up for a (dogs) lifetime of resentment, regardless of whether he loves the dog or not - ive seen this happen many times before and its not nice for anyone in the household, dog or human! Oh and agreeing to the idea doesnt necessarily mean your OH is keen on the idea, sometimes they agree because they love us and want to make us happy / shut us up! ;)

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Celine — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 07:39:38 GMT

As he is far away I take it you havent "met" this dog yet? Maybe you should be grateful for this, you have not had a chance to fall in love with him, you know he is in safe hands and doesnt need rescueing from a nasty situation and that the people he is with will care for him for the rest of his life, short as that may be.

There are a lot of dogs not so fortunate as he who would benefit more grom your adoption, but if it has to be a cocker, just put your name down with a few breeders and wait for the inevitable 8 mth old pup whose owners are moving overseas / getting divorced / cant cope with yhe hair.

personally

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Caro Laithwaite VN — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 22:02:02 GMT

As it is going to Mike M wait till he says what is going on. Ask if you can speak to him get them to clear you there is NO vet in this country who is better at hearts and so go by what he says. Personally l wouldn't take him on and l also have issues with rescues who would spend that kind of money on a dog when there is so many fit and healthy ones destroyed.

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Fuzzyduck — Sun, 23 Jun 2013 21:38:13 GMT

I would find out what exactly the dogs problem is and prognosis before making the decision. I would also say its unlikely to be a PDA given the dogs breed and age, more likely pulmonic stenosis or Mitral/tricuspid dysplasia. You'd have to decide whether you could afford long term meds should they be required in the near future or further ahead or whether if it was a PDA or pulmonic stenosis you'd want to/could afford to spend several thousand pounds on a procedure on a brand new dog you'd just got. By the way PDA ligation done surgically can be done as cheaply as £1800 sometimes less so maybe not as costly as you'd think but still a lot to consider, id wait and see what mike says and then you have more of an idea what you're getting in to

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

denise laughlin — Sun, 23 Jun 2013 01:52:39 GMT

Re: Should I take on an uninsured 14mth dog with horrendous heart murmur?

Steph Worsley — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 17:59:43 GMT

the only people who can really answer this is you.....personally I know realistically I couldn't take on something knowing that they have a major pre-existing condition which will not be covered by insurance, I had a minor blip this week when we were faced with a dog that needed re-homing or euthanasia, he is on expensive meds and prescription diet for the rest of his life, I briefly considered it but knew realistically I could not a) afford him or b) fit him into my life correctly, luckily we managed to re-home him succesfully and he went off to his new life on Fri.

I would be inclined to wait and see what Mike says about his condition and go from there, but both you AND your husband have to be happy with taking the dog on otherwise you may find that it brings problems into your relationship