I've been reading the forums a while, but I've never actually made an account until now. Our golden, Cookie, makes 7 years this year. She was mainly an outside dog, but we'd bring her in at night. About a month ago we decided to bring her inside permanently since she was getting up in age. Everything was fine, but she stopped eating. She would only eat table food. About a week ago, she started to slow down tremendously. Her nose started bleeding and she was losing weight due to the little amount of food she was eating. About three days ago, we noticed she had a very large amount of fluid in her abdomen. We brought her to the vet and all of her bloodwork came back normal. She also had normal x-rays. We were then referred to an emergency vet. We brought her yesterday and they were still not sure of what is causing it. They did say she was heartworm positive and that it was possible that the heartworms were causing this, but there is no fluid in her chest, so this makes them think otherwise. They also mentioned that it could be heart disease, but they're also not sure about that. The last possible thing they said it could be was Pyometra, but this is the least likely of the three. The only way they are able to truly find out what it is is to do an ultrasound, but at this point we have spent $600+ on vet expenses and we cannot afford to really do anything else. They sent us home with Furosemide and Enalapril, but it hasn't seemed to do much. Euthanization is the very last thing we want to do, but Cookie is miserable and there doesn't seem to be much else we can do. The fluid brings her down so much that we have to carry her to use the bathroom. It's really sad to see her like this because she's always been such a playful, happy dog. Even through all this she still wags her tail happily for us. Has anyone here ever experienced the symptoms that Cookie has with one of their Goldens and has an idea of what this is? Thanks.

I think you should get the ultra- sound ASAP. Fluid is a symptom of something . Usually it is in response to some irritation within the body. I don't want to scare you but it could be something needing immediate attention.

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[SIGPIC]

Thanks for the response. Believe me, if we had the money to do an ultrasound, we would do it in a heartbeat. The vet did take a sample of the fluid and is supposed to call us sometime today to tell us what it consists of. We're hoping that the Lasix works to rid the fluid from her body, but so far it hasn't done much of anything to make her feel better.

Does your vet accept CareCredit?

Healthcare and Medical Financing for Consumers | CareCredit™

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Karen, Chance, Lucy and Savanah RB



“Everyone needs a dog to adore him, and a cat to bring him back to reality”

Carmella endured something similar. She began to grow listless, her gums and tongue slowly went from pink to black (this was over a period of months), and she stopped eating. She was living with my brother and me at this point and I guess we were so caught up in our schoolwork that we completely neglected to notice all of these horrible symptoms... until she collapsed.

Long story short, the ER vet drained over a liter of fluid from her chest, and we eventually had a large thymoma removed from Carmella's heart. If she had not had it removed she would have suffocated on her own fluids.

I'm sorry you're going through this. Please do not take offense at this, but if your dog is visibly suffering and you can't do anything for her, the kindest thing to do would be to put her down. I can't imagine how horrible it would be to drown in your own body.

I really really hope she improves. Give her lots of love and ear rubs. Best of luck to you and your pupper.

*Edit* Ack, just read that the fluid is in Cookie's abdomen. A different situation, I guess. Hopefully it is something treatable. I'll check back here for updates.

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Applying for Care Credit is a good option and may give you the funds you need to have her treated.

Your dog is suffering, and really does need the additional tests and treatment to diaganose and treat what is wrong. I am not saying this to be harsh, but if you are sincerely unable to provide what she needs it is cruel to leave her suffering, please contact Golden Retriever rescue groups in your area and turn her over to one of them so that she can get the vet care she needs.

You can find them listed on this website, I would encourage you to contact all of them, and also neighboring states if necessary:

National Rescue Committee of the Golden Retriever Club of America


Whatever you do, please don't leave her in this condition, act quickly for her sake.

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If you can't afford to do anything else, please take her to the vet and have her euthanized as soon as possible. Anything you can do at this point to cure her would be expensive and may not be successful. Do not let her suffer, please.

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Carolyn (A.K.A. Aunt Care) and

Creekwood Tanglefoot Selchie CD, RN, AX, AXJ, CGC, CCA, (A.K.A. Selli-Belle) Golden

Valentine Byrd McDuff (A.K.A. Duffy) Golden/Sheltie

Tanglefoot Autumn Dexter CGC (My Heart Dog at the Bridge) Golden

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My boys from left to right:
Thunder Dachsi Toby




http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...is-issues.html

My Toby, my heart dog 3/12/2003 - 3/30/2013, I miss you Toby!


Christa

Before you think about having her put down, please contact a rescue first. I know the rescue I foster for never turns down a dog, even if they have medical issues so maybe you can find one near you that can help.

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“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”


Roger Caras

Thanks for all of the replies. We brought her to the vet today to do the ultrasound and she had heartworms all in her heart. She was diagnosed with Caval Syndrome and Congestive Heart Failure, so we made the tough decision to put her to sleep due to there being nothing we could do. She passed peacefully in my arms.