frenchy

My little terrier Snicker is having occasional attacks where she gets
in a coughing fit (usually brought on by getting excited by me or
someone else arriving home), then spreading out on all fours, falling
over on her side and howling in pain and emptying her bladder.
Tonight was the first time I witnessed it and I thought she was dead!
But recovered very quickly (about a minute or two) and even ate her
little piece of hot dog with the pill stuck in it as usual. Anybody
know if this is a symptom of heart attack or (?)
The vet said she has a heart murmur and she has been on Enalapril for
the last couple of months.
Thanks!

buglady

..........no one can tell you, she needs to be examined by the vet,
particularly if she has heart problems, could be heart failure, could be
trachea problems. Hope she's OK

buglady
take out the dog before replying

shadow walker

Did you tell the vet about these attacks? Did they start before or after the
medication? If so and all they did was give you a pill you need to take your
dog to another vet. Has your dog been tested for heartworms? Is she on
heartworm preventative? Is she eating and drinking normally? How old is the
dog?

If your dog is being hurt by being excited remove the her from stimuli you
need to confine her to a quiet part of the house, to help prevent attacks.
Information on the medication the vet has prescribed for your dog.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enalapril

Why is this medication prescribed?

Enalapril is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat
high blood pressure. It is also used in combination with other medications
to treat heart failure. Enalapril is in a class of medications called
angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. It works by decreasing
certain chemicals that tighten the blood vessels, so blood flows more
smoothly and the heart can pump blood more efficiently.

frenchy

I took her to the vet about a month ago after the first attact was
reported to me, at that point all that was noticed by me was that she
layed on her side in the middle of the floor which was unusual for
her. So he did some blood and other tests and everthing looked ok
except for the heart murmur and prescribed the pill. Then came this
worse attack (and evidence she has had a few other attacks while I was
not home.) She is appx 11 years old. My girlfriend used to work for a
vet and said a diuretic might be in order, so I'm gonna take Snicker
back to the vet on Monday. Thanks!

frenchy

Update, Snicker has had no more attacks since also being put on a low
dose diuretic, thanks for the responses.
Frenchy

many dogs \(flick\)

That's good news! Thanks for keeping us informed.

Best of luck to both of you. flick