Yesterday my mom and i took our 2 mini dachshund to the vet to get fixed. Max and Martha, their both 7 months old and also from the same litter. Max went in and got fix fine, then it was Marthas turn, but before she got fixed we had conserns about her. Martha was the runt of the litter she weighs about 4.7 lbs while on the other hand Max weighed about 7.1 lbs.Martha also would always get out of breath or winded if she went out to play with the other dogs and would have to relax quickly. At times we would let the dogs out to play and she eould only be out there for the matter of mins. before she couldn't take it anymore. So we mentiond that to the vet so the vet took an x-ray and discoverd that Martha had an enlarged heart and because of that it's causing liquids in the lungs. Thats why she can't breath to well. The vet also think thats why she's so little, because of this condition. Martha's on medication for 10 days untill we got back to the vet Monday and pick up her x-rays and then we're off to the heart doctor for dogs, and hopefully she can just be on medication for the rest of her life, but it not she's goiing to pass away I'm VERY worried about my puppy can any buddy help? or has any one ever had/have a dog that has this same condition? and how did things work out?
I've never had a problem with any of my dogs, but I do know that a lot of giant breed dogs (especially males) have problems with enlarged hearts. Part of it has to do with the gigantism that's bred into the breed. The fluid in the lungs seems to go hand in hand with the enlarged heart. I know that if cardiomiathopy gets too severe, it can lead to congestive heart failure which will have the dog on medication. The CHF also seems to lead to the liquid in the lungs. I've been out of school for a while, do to financial reasons, so I'm extremely rusty on the subject. I will see if I can research anything else.
Some advice that I can offer up as of right now is to keep her excersized, but don't let her overdo it. Walkies are fine, as well as some light play, but no more running around. This causes the heart to go into overdrive, and a dog with a condition such as yours can't take it. It can lead to cardiac arrest or worse.