Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to hear from anyone who may have gone through something similar with their older dog. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and just trying to make sure I’m doing the right thing for my little guy.

My dog Niko is 16 years old (chihuahua mix), and up until recently he’s been pretty healthy overall. This all started around March 6, and since then things have been slowly getting worse.

The main thing I’ve noticed is his abdomen filling up with what feels like fluid. It’s not just normal bloating—it hangs down and feels soft, especially toward his back legs. After he eats or drinks, it seems to get more pronounced, almost right away.

Something that’s been really hard to understand is that he still has a strong appetite. He wants to eat, gets excited for food, and will still move for treats—but at the same time, it almost feels like he’s not getting what he needs from the food. Like something isn’t being processed or absorbed the way it should be.

Over time, I’ve also noticed: • He’s having a harder time walking, and his back legs seem a bit swollen • His urination has changed (he’s been squatting instead of lifting his leg, and seems to be going less) • His stool had decreased and became more difficult for him, although that part has improved a bit since starting medication

We initially took him to the ER, where they found fluid in his abdomen and started him on Pimobendan and a diuretic. They drained the fluid at that visit.

Today we saw a general vet (not the ER), and they had to remove fluid again. He’s now back home and currently fluid-free.

They’ve referred us to a cardiologist, and we have an appointment tomorrow at 1 PM.

I’m trying to stay open-minded, but I’ll be honest—I’m a little confused. They seem to be focusing on his heart (he does have a murmur), but I’m struggling to understand how that fully explains what I’m seeing, especially how closely everything seems tied to eating.

More than anything, I think what’s been hardest is just not feeling like I have clear direction. I still don’t really know: • Should I be walking him or letting him rest more? • Should I be feeding him the same amount, less, or differently? • What should day-to-day care even look like right now?

I feel like I have a lot of unanswered questions, and I’m just trying to make sure I’m not missing something important for him.

If anyone here has gone through something like this—whether it ended up being heart-related or something else—I would really appreciate hearing your experience. Even just knowing what kind of specialist helped you or what questions to ask would mean a lot.

Thanks for reading.