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A Reprieve - August 14, 2012


Last night was a long one.  Rocky couldn’t get settled and was constantly panting and then going into shallow irregular breaths.  He would calm down for a while but then start right back up.  Finally around 4 am this morning I decided on a trip to the Hollywood Animal Hospital. 

The vet’s first statement to me after the examination was “Did you know he has a pronounced heart murmur?”  I didn’t.  The next words out of her mouth were to the effect she thought he had congenital heart disease.  I knew this was bad but she said she would like to do an x-ray first before confirming the diagnosis.  I agreed.

After she left, I Googled CHD and my suspicion was correct.  It’s pretty much a death sentence from 6 months to 1 year.  When she returned from the x-ray, she asked if I would like to remain at the hospital until the radiologist came to make the reading.  To her, it did look like congenital heart disease but she wanted the radiologist to confirm it.  I agreed to wait.

Around 6:30 am, she came back and said it didn’t appear to the radiologist to be CHD.  She suggested a major blood work up and then, if the blood tests warranted, an echocardiogram.  At least he got a reprieve from the death sentence. 

If it is just a murmur that is causing the heart to overtax itself, then the heart problem could be treated with medication.   I’m awaiting the blood test results today and then will make the decision about the echocardiogram.  I should know something by this afternoon.

Both he and I are exhausted! 

© Fred Searcy 2017