If the animal is uncomfortable at the first examination, the ascitic fluid is removed. Medical therapy is commonly effective at prolonging the time until the abdomen is severely distended again but is commonly ineffective at completely stopping fluid accumulation. Consequently, periodic abdominocentesis and fluid removal is often required. Periodic removal of ascitic fluid results in removal of large quantities of protein each time the procedure is repeated. However, in our experience this rarely results in clinically significant sequela.
Some owners can even learn to do the procedure themselves.
As opposed to dogs with left heart failure, dogs with right heart failure commonly feel good and so have a good quality of life between procedures. Ultimately, however, the interval becomes too short for most owners to tolerate and euthanasia becomes a viable option. Surgical therapy is usually a poor option in our experience. We have observed the clinical courses of three dogs following the replacement of the tricuspid valve with a bioprosthetic valve. In each case, the prosthetic valve has been constructed from a stent and the dog s own pericardium.