Hi All:

I've got a problem w/ one of my fuzzies, that my vet & I can't seem
to figure out.

Oberon is almost 6, & recently we discovered he had dialated
cardiomyopathy. He's currently on lasix & pimobendan, & is doing
pretty well. His vertebral heart score is a 4.5, so his heart is
a bit enlarged.

The problem is, he's having a hard time drinking water. He can slug
down very watery soup just fine. His esophagus is straight, w/ no wide
areas seen anywhere. His heart is putting a little bit of pressure on
his airway, but it's not bad now that he's on the meds, & it doesn't
seem to be affecting his esopahgus at all. So I think we can rule out
megaesophagus, since that all looks normal.

Anyone have any ideas as to why he can't drink water? When he tries,
he'll sputter, gag, & the water drips out of his mouth. He'll go back &
try again a time or 2, but then just gives up. He's staying hydrated,
cos of the watery soup he's getting, but he really seems to want to
drink water. He just can't do it w/out doing the sputter/gag thing most
of the time. On a few occasions recently, he's even pawed at his mouth
after gagging (at one point getting his paw actually stuck in his
mouth, resulting in a small scratch on the roof of his mouth, just
behind his upper front teeth - which is healing). We've tried cold
water, cool water, room temp water (which he won't touch at all), &
warm water (same temp as his soup), but there doesn't seem to be any
difference in his reposnse. His teeth look fine, as well.

Does this sound like anything anyone's experienced here? Any input
would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance ~

Lin, Oberon, Max, Puck, & Ivan, & the Fugitives - Madison & Mason
~ Missing my angel Ariel - 20 April 2000 - 20 January 2007.
Wait for me, my Baby Girl. I miss you so much. ~

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email me at: kay tee en eye el at double-u owe aich dot ar ar dot see
owe em
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[Posted in FML 5926]