My Boxer

I started another post, but my Boxer's cough started getting worse which has distracted me.  10 days ago, I took him into the vet.  It's a practice with several vets, but they're usually good about keeping animals with the same vet.  However, his vet wasn't in.


  A new vet saw him.  While the vet seemed caring, this was the same vet that repeatedly stuck our husky with the blood draw needle.  He couldn't get the blood drawn and had to take her into the back.  By the 4th poke she was getting upset.  I can't say as I blame her.

  Anyhow, he couldn't feel anything wrong with our 8 yo Boxer's throat.  His lungs were clear.  Heart sounds were good.  The vet took an x-ray which showed some "bronchitis type lesions".  Prednisone was prescribed for a 3 week period.   I was warned that it would make him very thirsty and he would have to "eliminate" more.

 O - M - G they were not kidding.  This dog went from going 3 - 4 times a day to leaking urine on the floor if he didn't go out every 2-3 hours.   His cough became worse instead of better.  I discovered today that this is a key clue in what is wrong.

  My greatest fear was heart worm.  I didn't give him his heart worm medication over the winter, because I live in New England.  If a mosquito can live through the winter here I'd be extremely impressed.  However, it was a very mild winter and mosquitoes were out earlier than usual.

 I saw a different new vet today.  This one is female.  She was good and funny.  I liked her a lot more than the male we had last time.  She immediately ran the heart worm test this morning when he went in for his normal physical.  Thankfully, it was negative.

  They don't know what is wrong.  She had the foresight to draw enough blood at the beginning of the visit just in case they had to run a blood panel.  I get to sit at home, except for my hair appointment, and wait for the results.  If they're fine, then we go to the next step.  The last step is taking him to see the dog cardiologist, because Boxer's are prone to a heart disease that is specifically named after them: Boxer Cardiomyopathy

  He would need to begin heart medications to stop the arrhythmia, but the odds of him dying of heart failure are high.

   I've never heard of Boxer Cardiomyopathy.   This is our second Boxer.  We love the "puppiness" of them.  Our first died of a degenerative nerve disease.  Our last cat died of heart failure, but it was sudden with no warning signs.  If this one has it, and his cough is progressively getting worse, it has to be diagnosed soon, so the vet is pushing for testing of viral and bacterial first, then Lung worm, then the heart asap.  The cardiologist won't look at a dog who hasn't been tested for all the previous illnesses.  


  I'm hoping it is something simple and easily fixed.