Melanie, somehow I deleted my reply. Was going to say that my dog was diagnosed over 2 years ago. The surgery didn’t work and the vet put a pleural port in. The cost is a lot less than the surgery ($2000 vs $5000 at specialist in NC), is less invasive, less recovery time and eliminates the need for chest taps which lead to pocketing in the chest cavity We have been draining fluid from her twice a week since July 2013 and she’s doing well (she does have pocketing on her left side from chest taps but fluid is still coming out).
She has been on Rutin 1000mg/3 times a day – she’s about 30 lbs; I think that’s a fairly standard dose. And Royal Canin low fat gastrointestinal prescription food. Hills has a similar prescription food. She wouldn’t eat after the initial surgery so vet suggested boiled chicken and rice, boiled in no-fat or low-fat chicken broth.
The port is under the skin and you have to shave the fur & clean the skin and use a special needle. I’m more than a little squeamish but have gotten used to it. If I could do it again, I would not have had the surgery. It didn’t work, caused more problems and a 2nd surgery, and cost a fortune. This is a rare condition and most vets have no experience with it. The link for the port is: http://www.norfolkvetproducts.com/pleuralport.html.
It’s possible your dog may do well with Rutin and low fat food too but wanted to tell you about the port if it comes to that. I thought it was a death sentence too but she’s done well for over 2 years and I’m thankful for that. Good luck!
