January 27, 2025
Howdy everyone! Hecktor had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! We hope you all did to! He's back to his good-old self. We started gradually working him back up to his 2 mile walk at around 3 weeks post surgery and he did great. We took it slow, but he probably could have gotten right back to it. He now is going on long walks again (nearly) every day, weather permitting. And oh the pep that he has in his step again!!! It's amazing!
Hecktor is now 3 months post surgery and he's like a brand new doggie! We received great news at his 3 month follow-up. All 4 chambers of his heart are back to normal size!!! The vet still wants to keep him on his remaining medications at least until his 6 month follow-up, but then we're going to start talking about weening him off... Keep in mind at the peak of his disease, he was on a total of 17 doses of various medicines and now he's down to 8 doses of various medicines for his heart (Pimobendan and Sildenafil 3 times a day and Furosemide 2 times a day).
All in all, he's doing great and I wanted to make sure to update all of you!
October 22, 2024
I just wanted to send an extra thank you to all of you who supported Hecktor. A special thanks to Dr Wey at Upstate Veterinary Specialists for going through Hecktor's measurements/case in detail with me at every visit and the team of medical professionals at Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, especially, Dr Kadotani, Dr Fries, Amanda, Trey and Sara . He is doing so good and is getting back to his normal spunky self!!!
I have been monitoring his incision, the first day out of surgery it was very red and bruised. Today, almost ZERO redness or bruising. I bought him a nice snuggly fleece/sweatshirt while we were traveling back to Texas that he can wear to prevent scratching at it instead of wearing the cone of shame, so he's been loving being so snuggly.
His murmur, which was audible from about 3 feet away is no longer audible at all to me. His cough is basically gone, except for a slight one if he jumps around, which he isn't supposed to be doing, but he has snuck a couple of jumps since we've been home.
I wish I had taken a picture of Hecktor's nose. The Furosemide and Spironolactone dried it out so much that his nostrils were almost closed and layers of skin would just brush off. Since the Spironolactone was cut out fully and the Furosemide was cut from 3 pills/day to 1, his nose is (almost fully) back to normal, within just a handful of days!
He (and me) have been loving that he doesn't need to be on so many medicines any longer. We overall so happy with How Hecktor is doing!
October 17, 2024 at 1:19pm
Howdy everyone! I just want to preface this update with this. During Hecktor's evaluation on Tuesday the Dr said NOT to expect to see 0 back-flow after Hecktor's surgery... that just doesn't usually happen and that they aim for "better" not "perfect".
Well ladies and gentlemen, I just received a follow-up call from one of the Drs who assisted with Hecktor's surgery. She said they are EXTREMELY pleased with how he's doing, where the clamp is placed and she reiterated again that there is SIGNIFICANT reduction in his regurgitation (I mean she really emphasized SIGNIFICANT). Keeping in mind that Hecktor had 80-90% back-flow before surgery, I asked if she had rough measurements of % reduction and she said the reduction is to the point where he is measuring at a NEGATVIE back-flow %. She said the measurements when calculated are not always 100% accurate (it's ultrasound imaging basically, so you know, it can be a little fuzzy) and that the negative value is really showing that Hecktor has the ever so slightest back-flow remaining. Basically too small to measure accurately, so I'm taking that to mean he has near 0 back-flow. That's how well this surgery went for him. I don't think anyone expected that. But everyday leading up to this surgery... well you all probably know the mantra I would say to him by now!!! I really feel that repeating to him how healthy and strong he is and how well his surgery would go really did help so much!
On the call she also said they saw that the left side chambers of his heart and his heart in general had already reduced substantially in size. I take this as an awesome sign already because they aren't sure why they see heart sizes go back to normal in some dogs and not others, but I think since we're seeing a reduction so early, Heck might be one of the lucky ones that gets his heart back close to normal size.
Here's the BIG effect, they are taking him off of the following medications:
- Hydrocodone (no more RED X)
- Benazapril (no more RED X)
- Spironolactone (no more RED X)
- Furosemide (dropping down to half a pill twice a day from 2.5 pills a day RED X). She said he had a small amount of crackling in the lungs that they just want to make sure clears before taking him off fully. This is over half of the meds he's on!!!
He will be going on an antibiotic and a blood thinner temproarily... but TEMPORARILY!!!
They took him off the opioid medication for his pain and just have him on gabapentin. He had lost his appetite on the opioid (true to Hecktor's at home experiences too), those always make him lose his appetite.
His cough has also already improved, he had only one mild coughing fit today when they laid him on his side for the echo. Compared to 5-6 per day previously, even when he was medicated for it. So this is also an exceptional improvement.
One more night with them and then I pick him up tomorrow!
Thanks again for all your support and all you each have done for Hecktor. I appreciate it so much!
GREAT NEWS! Hecktor is out of surgery and did very well. The Dr said he did excellent the whole time under anesthesia.
He was a little dehydrated (from the medication he's been on, expected) so there was a small gap between his valve leaflets, but they were able to place the clamp where they wanted to and his regurgitation (back-flow of blood) was SIGNIFICANTLY reduced.
Hecktor did have a little bit of a rough time coming out of anesthesia and his little body didn't want to go into room level oxygen right away. The Dr made sure to say that he was never unstable because of it, but they are going to keep him on oxygen/in an oxygen chamber overnight just to help him along.
The first few hours out of surgery are critical, but they sounded really happy with where they were able to place the clamp on Hecktor. They will call again in the morning. But basically tonight, no news is good news. :-)
We won't be able to pick him up until Friday afternoon, but feeling so much relief right now!!! Thank you all for sending Heckie all of those good vibes!!!
October 16, 2024 at 4:15pm
October 16, 2024 at 12:36pm
The Dr just called. They are just about to prep Heckie for anesthesia. He's been the model patient. Ate well last night, took all of his medications for them and has just been the sweetest little guy patiently waiting for his new mitral valve clamp!!!
Hecktor, you're healthy and strong. You have a strong heart. You're doing great under anesthesia and your surgery is going smoothly!
Here's one of the pics I took of Heckie while on our way to Illinois!!!
It's official, Hecktor's appointment to make sure he was a candidate for the TEER procedure went well. He's staying overnight at the surgery center and will be having the TEER procedure early in the morning. The Dr did an excellent job explaining all of the procedure and answered all of my questions. He confirmed that Hecktor's posterior mitral valve leaflet was long enough to perform the surgery. It measured around 8.58mm and we wanted it to be at least 7mm.
Remember... Hecktor is healthy and strong! He has a strong heart and his surgery will go smoothly!
October 15, 2024
October 12, 2024
We headed out for Illinois this morning, bright and early! Making great time and the trip has been smooth so far. There's been a lot of signs lately that Hecktor having this surgery is the right thing for him. (Which I've been going back and forth with because it is heart surgery and it is not without risk). But today when we got to the camp site, we were assigned to spot 22... by chance. Now if you know my history, you know that there couldn't have been a better number than 22 for me and Heckie. Hoping it's a sign that the universe is on Heckie's side.
All of the doggies have been doing great during the ride to Illinois. We got to the first camp site around 3:30pm. It's near a beautiful lake. Here's a picture of Heckie posing in front of the view!
Hecktor's Dr appointment to make sure he's still a good candidate for the TEER surgery is Tuesday at 12:30pm. I've been trying to put as many positive vibes out into the world for Hecktor.
A little tid-bit about Heck: since he was diagnosed with CMVD 4 years ago, I've told him every day, "Heckie, you're healthy and strong and you have a strong heart." Since we found out he was a candidate for this surgery I have added onto that mantra and would love if you all would say this or keep it in your thoughts:
"My sweet Heckie, I Love You! You're healthy and strong and you have a strong heart. Your surgery is going to go so smooth and easy. The V-Clamp will be perfectly placed. And you're going to heal so quickly afterwards."
Last day of work before we leave for Illinois!!! Heckie is relaxing in his usual spot under the desk right near my feet while I work. His cough has been getting a little worse, but otherwise he's been doing great. His energy level and appetite are both up. We've been going on walks every morning and he's been loving the fall weather!
He's also started to tell me each night when it's time for bed, even though he's a few hours early each night (he thinks as soon as it gets dark that means bed time). I personally think bedtime has become his favorite time of day now, he's been getting to sleep in the human bed since he's been sick and he get's extra snuggles.
October 10, 2024
I remember this day, Hecktor had his first tumble as a pup, I think he jumped off the couch or something a little too high and hurt his little foot/leg. He was limping around, so of course, first child, gets brought to the vet right away... I said "little stinker" in this post because as soon as we got to the ER vet and I set him on the floor, he walked around the room perfectly fine. Anyhooo, sharing that story is not the reason for this post this morning. When this post popped up, I immediately took it as a sign that Heckie's surgery is going to go well and he's going to come out of it healthy and happy! (but 11lbs now :-))
September 17, 2024
September 12, 2010
Today was the day we brought Alice home from the shelter. After a long battle with, what they said was, kennel cough and a multiple week wait/pleading period begging the shelter to let me taker her even with kennel cough (it turned out it was tracheal collapse syndrome which she has when she is stressed or excited and not kennel cough, so she basically would have never stopped coughing there) we brought her home and Heckie finally got his little sister.
Fun fact, when I got Hecktor a year or so before, he was in a crate with a black Chihuahua. I like to think Alice was that Chihuahua and they were reunited. :-)
Well, it's been an eventful week for Hecktor.
On the 3rd Heck had a follow-up at is cardiologist. They checked the pressure in his lungs from his fainting and the new medication that he's on to help keep that pressure lower. It was down about 15%, but still quite high. Since he's not showing any more symptoms though, he basically got a good report.
On Friday the 6th heard from the surgeon in Illinois (one of the 4 places in the US to perform the TEER surgery). She thinks Hecktor is a candidate and we will be heading out there to confirm for an appointment on October 15th. Yes, It's a month away, which sucks, but since they are only one of 4 places that perform this procedure it was the earliest appointment they had. The procedure in dogs is so new, they have only been doing it since September 2022 and have done only 34. Their overall success rate is 87.5% since September 2022 and is higher over the past year alone (from September 2023), so that keeps me hopeful. There are certainly risks with this one, but I do think it's Hecktor's best shot.
September 11, 2024
On the same day, I also heard from Japan, they are the world leaders in open heart surgery for dogs with mitral valve disease and one of 3 places in the world that perform it. If by chance on October 15th the surgeon in Illinois determines Hecktor is no longer a candidate (he does seem borderline) for the TEER surgery, we have the open heart surgery in Japan as his fall back. This surgery has a 95% success rate and is really the gold standard for this disease.
So that was all the good news Hecktor got this week. The not so good news is that Hecktor has developed a cough. This means one of two things, either Hecktor needs a medication adjustment to clear more fluid out of his lungs (the vet confirmed he didn't sound congested at his appointment so it probably isn't this) or his heart has begun to enlarge enough to be pressing on his trachea and causing a cough reflex. Unfortunately it is probably the later. We started Hecktor on cough suppressant on an as needed basis, but the side effect that he has from this is loss of appetite, so I'm trying to give it very minimally and really trying to hand feed him and give him his favorite doggie foods.
For what it's worth, Heckie, this little 11lb super hero is on 8 medications to manage this horrible disease, keep his symptoms at bay and keep him as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. He sure is a fighter and is still always wanting to go on walks, snuggle and play with his sister, Alice!
August 30, 2024
We got some exciting news yesterday! Hecktor was officially accepted as a candidate to have the TEER procedure performed in Illinois. I should be talking with the Dr sometime next week! I have been slacking on the photos this week because I've been working on Hecktor's shop, but I wanted to get the news out there quickly.
Thank you all for all the ways you've been supporting Hecktor!
As many of you know, last weekend Hecktor started some fainting spells. We thought this was because Hecktor's heart was not pumping blood well enough and his brain might not have been getting enough oxygen, that's what it typically is with left-sided heart failure, but this wasn't it at all. Another condition often seen with left-sided heart failure is Pulmonary Hypertension. Basically, the pressure in the blood vessels of Hecktor's lungs was getting to high and his body was hitting a reboot button to lower the pressure. The treatment for this...
Viagra LOL.
Apparently Viagra is excellent at dilating the blood vessels and lowers the pressure in the lungs. It is officially re-branded as Sildenafil, but that hasn't prevented Hecktor from getting some pep back in his step! We've been on walks again almost every day since he started treatment. And even though the vet said he might have a couple more episodes while he gets the medication into his system, he has not fainted a single time since starting the medicine.
In addition to that, Hecktor is being evaluated for a separate surgery that has less of a waitlist and would take the place of the open-heart surgery.
August 25, 2024
August 18, 2024
Around 4:30pm last night Heckie fainted, maybe I'm crazy, but seeing him laying there on the floor was the scariest thing I've ever felt. I picked him up and begged him to wake up. He was out for what felt like forever, but was probably only about 20-30 seconds. He acted startled when he woke up like he didn't know what was going on. Poor guy. He also was kind of stumbling. I got him into his oxygen chamber and within 10 minutes he was back to his sweet little self. I was a wreck though and was praying it wouldn't happen again. However, around 7:45pm it did. I was right with him this time and was able to ease him to the floor. They say to elevate their back side to promote more blood flow to their brain, so I held him close with his head a little lower than his body as I said his name over and over until he woke back up. This episode seemed shorter and I got him into his oxygen chamber again for another 20 minutes or so. After that Heckie made it through the night without any more fainting spells.
That brings us to this morning, Heck seemed to be doing great, back to his normal self. We went outside for a potty break and Heck just wanted to keep walking. I kind of thought that was weird because it was sprinkling and both him and Alice HATE being out in the rain. Turns out it was weird, as soon as we got inside I saw him get wobbly again, so I put my hands under him just in time for him to fall into them. He made a little whimper sound (worst sound in the world) like he knew he was about to go out again and then he was out.
I noticed 2 of the 3 of his fainting spells were about an hour or so after his Furosemide, which removes fluid from his lungs (and the rest of his little body), suspecting maybe the fainting was caused by dehydration, I did not give him his afternoon dose and he seems to be getting progressively more energetic throughout the day. I'll be cutting his dose for a few days to see how he does. Fingers crossed.
UPDATE: Just after I finished typing this, Hecktor had another fainting spell. :-( We'll see what the Dr says tomorrow.
The picture of him here is shortly after his spell yesterday, he insisted on extra pets while I was trying to work on designs for his "Paw Shop." Don't forget to check it out if you haven't already. All funds go towards his surgery, plus you could get a Heather Rose design. ;-)
July 30, 2024
What a beautiful day out today! Hecktor, Alice and I went on our morning walk; It has been shorter than usual lately since we have to be mindful of Hecktor's pace and exertion, plus he loves to dilly-dally. Regardless, it was a perfect morning for it. Hecktor even stopped to smell the flowers... ehem... mushrooms!
Alice did beat him to the top of the hill this morning, but he's doing better and having more energy again on our walks thanks to his wonderful Drs and the medicine he is taking. Hoping he'll be back to his old, energetic self in another few days!
Hecktor received at-home oxygen therapy last night in his own personal oxygen chamber. He woke up this morning as spry as a young pup! I was so happy to see him wanting to bounce around and play like he used to! We'll keep doing oxygen treatments until his surgery rolls around!
His breathing rate while he's sleeping also clocked in at 26 breaths per minute while he was sleeping today! That's GREAT!!! And let's me know we're doing things right and he's moving in the right direction! Keeping in mind that Mitral Valve Disease does not go away, but this is a good sign his pulmonary edema is healing! Heck also enjoyed some sun bathing time today!
July 27, 2024
July 26, 2024
:-(. Unfortunately Hecktor woke up this morning breathing quite fast again. I reached out to the doctor to see if we could put him back up to 3 Furosamide doses per day. This is what we're going to do through the weekend to see how he does. Hopefully his breathing rate comes back down into normal range soon!
July 25, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Hecktor's 2 week follow-up (and my Birthday). I let the doctor know that Hecktor has been going on walks in the morning's here and there. We've been on about 4 since he had his CHF episode. I'm letting him set the pace, so the walks are much slower than they used to be, and shorter too, only about a mile instead of 2, but the fact that he's wanting to go for walks is amazing progress!
Pulse rate is good, nice even beats. Breath rate was good during visit, 36/minute. Bloodwork came back all normal (except for one kidney value that was JUST on slightly outside of the normal range) so we're going to start Hecktor on 2 Benazapril pills per day to help keep the pressure off his little heart.
July 16, 2024
Hecktor's certainly been drinking a lot more water and needing to go potty more frequently; a side-effect of the Furosemide and a sign the fluid in his lungs is draining well! We've dropped his dosage frequency from 3 times per day down to 2 times per day. I'm wondering if this was too soon because Hecktor has started coughing when he wakes up from his naps. Note to all doggie owners, a "gagging" cough while resting or after resting is an early sign of CHF.
He's breathing rate is also down to the low-mid 30's when resting!!! This is excellent considering his pulmonary edema episode was so recent.
July 13, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Hecktor is home!!! I got the call on Friday at about 4 o'clock. While the first update from Hecktor's doctor was "it could go either way," the update at 4 o'clock was, "Hecktor has made 'DRAMATIC' improvements, it responding well to the medication and can go home in the morning." So I was able to pick Heckie up at 11:30 AM!!! It was so wonderful to be able to bring him home after wondering if I'd never get to see him again.
I thank the universe with my whole heart that Hecktor made it through the night and is able to be home now. His resting breathing rate is still high, but he is NOT dependent on an oxygen chamber which is AWESOME! FWIW, the resting breathing rate of all dogs should be below 30 breaths per minute (all dog moms and dads should be checking this), for dogs with CHF it should be below 35 when well controlled, Hecktor's today is around 44 breaths per minute. He's still healing and the fluid in his lungs is still in the process of resolving so I'm sure this rate will get better over the weekend!
July 12, 2024 at 3:00 AM
On July 12, 2024, at 2:00 am, I was awoken by the sounds of Hecktor struggling to breathe. I noticed Hecktor's breathing rate was not within his usual range, seemingly overnight because there were no warning signs until now. He was breathing at a rate of around 50 breaths per minute when he's usually around 22 breaths while sleeping and the breaths he was taking were super shallow. I could see he was fighting to breath and the look of fear on his sweet little face. I was heartbroken because I knew this likely meant his disease had progressed. I also knew we needed to get Hecktor help, and fast! I brought him to the Cardiologist immediately where they hospitalized him, put him on oxygen and ran tests, but I knew what it was.
Then around 6:00 am I received the dreaded call and confirmation that his heart had started to enlarge causing fluid to back up into his lungs and that his mitral valve disease had officially progressed into stage 3 (showing clinical signs). The cardiologist also told me the next hours he could "go either way" but if he responded to the medication that would draw the fluid out of his lungs, he'd be able to return home. He would also be on this new medication for the rest of his life. Thankfully, he did respond to this medication, but that is only temporary. He needs surgery to restore the valve in his heart. If he does not get this surgery, his lifespan will likely only be 6-18 months. With the surgery, his lifespan goes back to that of any other Chihuahua, adding 5-8 years to his life and he, more than likely, will be able to come off all of his current medications with full heart function again.
