The most common causes of pericardial effusion include bleeding from a heart base, a right atrial tumor, or idiopathic (from unknown causes) inflammation. Other less common causes include bleeding disorders, bacterial or viral infections, heart failure, low blood protein levels or other ill-defined causes.
How long can a dog live with fluid around his heart?
Survival is expected to be from a few weeks to less than 4-6 months but quality of life between episodes is usually good. Chemotherapy may provide a small survival benefit.
Can a dog recover from fluid around the heart?
All of these conditions can be managed medically, which typically resolves the pericardial effusion. "When possible, pericardial effusion is treated by addressing the underlying disease." If your dog is critically ill due to cardiac tamponade, your veterinarian may attempt to remove the fluid surrounding the heart.
Can a dog live with fluid in the chest?
Living and Management You will need to monitor your dog carefully for breathing problems or for the recurrence of attendant symptoms (see description of symptoms above). Chylothorax will sometimes resolve spontaneously, or after surgery, but for some dogs there is no effective treatment that will resolve it.
Can dogs recover from pericardial effusion?
In the short term, affected dogs may respond to aggressive therapy for heart failure. Idiopathic pericardial effusion has a good to excellent prognosis. It may spontaneously resolve after one or more therapeutic pericardiocenteses or require surgical pericardiectomy.
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