I have a 14 1/2 year old female maltese, spayed at 6 months, all her vet work is up to date, she has been a loved companion all of her life. She has always had a bad heart murmur, she's been on medication to help with that for the last year, recently had some bad teeth removed and I realize she is nearing the end of a long life. Considering she has always had the heart problem I am surprised she has lived this long. I have made up my mind that as long as she has some interest in food and does not appear to be in pain, I will keep her with me, but when she quits eating and appears ready to give up I will have her put to sleep, but I am asking anyone with veterinary experience, is there anything else I should do for her? She sleeps more, her breathing is sometimes labored, she hates visits to the groomer and obviously the vet. She is not overweight and never has been and can be finicky about eating until I break out the "people food". Any INFORMED suggestions would be appreciated.
Answers:
Is she in heart failure? If she is short of breath, it might be chf and some diuretics would help.
As for the heart murmur, level one or two heart murmurs really don't affect life span that much. I assume, since she has had surgeries it is a low level murmur.
Just let her do what she can do and be happy. She could live a few more years. I mean, if the vet hasn't even had to start her on lasix, you must be taking good care of her. Small dogs live longer than big ones. She is nearing the end of her life. But as long as she is happy, still smiles and not in pain, just keep up the good work.
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