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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>I completely agree with Bev on this
issue. My friend and fellow basset slave lost Chloe on </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>Christmas morning due what was thought to be a
heart attack. When I babysat for niece</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>Chloe in June I noticed that she was
breathing hard and had a harsh </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>cough at
night. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>Anna took Chloe to her vet for her checkup and
was told "Everything is normal</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>except for that little heart murmur. She
probably just has allergies." When I watched Chloe</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>again she was no better and I could
hear the murmur easily. About 1 1/2 weeks before Chloe</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>journeyed to the Bridge, Anna again took her to
the vet because she was deteriorating. Her </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>murmur had gone from a Grade 2 to a Grade 5 in a
year. No medication was prescribed! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>Before Chloe could undergo the tests
she passed away while watching family members wrap </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>those </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>last
minute Christmas presents. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>Heart murmurs, Cardiomyopathy or anything to
do with the heart is not a issue that you can </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>ignore. I am going to disagree with Sara as
t</FONT><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>here is a difference between Cardiomyopathy
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>and a Heart Murmur. I will use
simply </FONT><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>terms to explain </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>the difference. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>With a heart murmur the </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>valve(s) that control the one way flow of blood fails in or out of
the 4 </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>chambers of the heart fail </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>to seal properly due to many different causes. What
happens then </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>is you get a back flow of
blood</FONT> <FONT size=2 face=Balloon>which if bad enough can lead to an
enlarged heart, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>Cardiomyopathy </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>and eventually complete heart failure </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>if not monitored and the grade of the</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>murmur is </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>at a level that blood flow is restricted and pools in the
heart which can lead to heart </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>failure and </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>blood clots in the worst case scenario.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>There are 2 different types of
Cardiomyopathy (also referred to as Heart Failure. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon><STRONG>1. <U>Hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy</U></STRONG>, which is rare in dogs, occurs when the walls
of the heart </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>thicken. Because of the
thickened chamber walls the heart is unable to </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>pump blood efficiently </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>and means decreased oxygen and nutrients to the
cells.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon><STRONG>2.</STRONG> <STRONG><U>Canine Dilative
Cardiomyopathy </U></STRONG>occurs when the heart muscles weaken and the walls
become</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>thinner. What happens because of this is
the heart is unable to pump the blood effectively, blood </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Balloon>pool</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>in the heart and can cause the heart to continue
to enlarge. Again with the decreased ability for the</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>heart to pump efficiently, the cells will receive
less nutrients and oxygen. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>There are so many risks with murmurs and
cardiomyopathy that can be decreased with medication, diet</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>and weight control. I still believe the
best test for a canine with these issues (or suspected issues) is to have
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>a cardiac ultrasound done so you can see the
extent of the heart's condition. A murmur makes a kind
of</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>wooshing noise which is called a
thrill.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>I listen to the gang's heart once a month to see
if anything is going on. Yep they get a mini assessment
by</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>mom before and after their toebone chopping and
ear cleaning. I am not sure the gang always appreciates</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>their MommaSlave for her nurse skills but oh
well.....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>We are sending Get Well Soon, Heart Comforting
Drool to all those in need.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Balloon>Karen and The Dog House Gang with our Fabulous
Freddie<BR>Volunteer/Foster for Golden Gate Basset Rescue<BR>Please Visit
Freddie's Cancer Treatment Fundraiser Page:<BR> <A
href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/FabulousFreddie/golden-gate-basset-rescue-inc">http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/FabulousFreddie/golden-gate-basset-rescue-inc</A><BR>Vote
for Ozark Mountain Basset Rescue in the 2011 Shelter Challenge:<BR><A
href="http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3">http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3</A><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>