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Bella beats the odds
By Kim Campbell Thornton
August 14, 2009
Experience is a brutal teacher, but she’s damned effective.
I’ve been watching and worrying about Bella for the past few weeks. She seemed to be coughing a little more–one of 
the signs that mitral valve disease is progressing. I checked her respiratory rate Tuesday morning and it was at about 45 breaths per minute. It’s not good for it to be above 35 bpm. She was already scheduled to see her cardiologist on Thursday, but I called to ask if I should bring her in sooner. I didn’t want a repeat of the situation with Darcy, who went into congestive heart failure unexpectedly because I didn’t recognize the signs soon enough. She suggested instead giving Bella a little furosemide (lasix) to see if that helped. It did.
When we went in for the exam, x-rays showed that Bella’s heart was a little bit bigger than it was in May (and that she had a rock in her stomach, but that’s the least of my worries). She was just on the cusp of having fluid in her lungs. Adding lasix, a diuretic, to her other two medications should help stave that off for a while. “You caught it really early,” Dr. Barrett said. “I’m not worried about her, and there’s still a lot we can do for her.”
You’d never know she was sick by looking at her. Old, yes, with her gray eyebrows and muzzle. But she’s first out the door when there’s a chance to go out, plays with Harper until she starts coughing, then tries to play some more, and has the appetite of a truck driver. After I loaded her in the car to go home, she made a break for the front seat and dived into the bag holding my Zankou’s chicken. She’s crazy. I don’t share that with anybody.
The typical Cavalier lifespan is 10 to 12 years. I keep reminding myself that she’s already a year and a half beyond that. So right now we’re aiming for 14 and then I’m resetting the goal to 15.
Go Bella, go!
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Go, Bella, go! Excellent timing, Kim. We all know that the earlier you can catch something the easier it is to treat or stave off, but it’s sometimes difficult to identify the subtle beginnings.
Go, Bella, go!
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — August 14, 2009 @ 5:38 am
Bella, you go, girl!
Comment by Susan — August 14, 2009 @ 5:50 am
Me and my 13-1/2 year old guy (who just recently started showing a heart murmer) are rootin’ for you all the way!
And you wouldn’t know it to look at him, either! Don’t you love it when they stay “young”?
Hugs to your “young lady” from me!
Comment by The OTHER Pat — August 14, 2009 @ 6:34 am
She looks amazing with that little bow in her hair!
And age limits are nothing - i had a sheepie make it 4 years past her “supposed” age limit.
Comment by Sarah — August 14, 2009 @ 7:30 am
Thanks for sharing…I needed that.
I’m boarding a nine year old dane, and I’ve got a few 14 year old huskies enjoying the fall weather in Alaska.
My oldest basset didn’t quite make her 15th birthday…but close.
Comment by LynnO — August 14, 2009 @ 10:37 am
Bella … you are beautiful. I love the faces of our older pets!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — August 14, 2009 @ 12:12 pm
Thanks, everyone. She is my best girl. And Phyllis’s…
Comment by Kim Thornton — August 14, 2009 @ 1:10 pm