Our Doberman, Ripley, has not been acting like herself for about the past week. I finally called the vet yesterday and made an appointment. They took an xray of her chest and it showed fluid in the lungs. This could be caused by numerous things, but the diagnosis is pneumonia for now. Her blood test results will be in tomorrow and those will either confirm or rule out the diagnosis. I’m rooting for the pneumonia at this point because it seems treatable. She was put on antibiotics and a diuretic and will remain on them for a few weeks unless the diagnosis changes.
While researching her symptoms yesterday, I came across dilated cardiomyopathy and thought for sure that was going to be it (damn the internet!). After describing Ripley’s symptoms to the vet, that was her first guess, too, but that’s why she ordered the xrays. Luckily, Ripley’s heart was not enlarged, so this doesn’t appear to be the problem.
We all love Ripley and showed it again today when I paid the vet bill. For that kind of money, I could’ve bought a new Doberman (but she’s well worth the money). Dobermans are great dogs, but they have so many health problems. One guy who works at the vets used to have one and says he’ll never get one again because of all of the health issues he had with his. I can kind of understand his attitude, but I do really like the breed.
More on this subject tomorrow…