Click images to enlarge
We're always fascinated with the inner workings of a Dachshund, and have featured x-rays of Joey and our dear departed Maggie several times over the years. We recently went to the vet to have a look at Joey's heart. With all the medical conditions that he has, he also has had a heart murmur his entire life, and it has progressed to about a grade 3. Heart murmurs are common in small dogs such as Dachshunds, and they worsen as the dogs get older, eventually leading to CHF, or congestive heart failure. If Joey were to start showing signs of exercise intolerance or "coughing," it will be time to start him on some cardiac meds. Thankfully, he's not showing any of these symptoms yet, but with the long-standing condition, it was prudent to have a look inside.
We were happy to find that things look pretty good. You can see his heart in the above photo, center left, and it does not appear to be enlarged. That's his lungs to the right of the heart, and there doesn't appear to be any fluid buildup, so that's positive as well.
Our good veterinarian had a surprise and started laughing when he noticed all of Joey's "hardware." If you look in the upper right, you can see all the surgical staples inside him from his previous bi-lateral adrenalectomy and spleenectomy. Hopefully he won't have to go through any metal detectors any time soon! You can see another staple in the belly-view photo below near one of his ribs.
The Heart of The Long and Short of it All