Something is wrong with our dog

I was at work this morning when the wife called hysterical explaining that our Chihuahua coughed while laying down, then tried to get up, but his body got real stiff almost like a stretching dog would do, but his front legs slid forward on the hard floor, and he fell completely sideways, still stiff legs sticking out. The wife thought he wasn't breathing, and tried to feel into his throat for maybe something lodged in there. No sign of life. She then layed him on his back and basically lightly pushed on his chest. He moved his mouth, and then came to life (not that he was necessarily dead).
After I spoke with her, I left work and while driving called the vet and explained we were coming in right away. I got home, we went to the vet.
We knew that buster had a heart murmur, so maybe he had fluid in his lungs or something. The vet confirmed a heart murmur, ruled out a seizure, and decided x-rays were needed. After the x-rays, the doctor saw an enlarged heart, which had no fluid around it, the lungs were clear, and due to the large heart, the trachia was not a straight shot, but curved upward and then down, most likely causing a coughing reflex and possibly fainting.
Our next step is to drive an hour to a hospital to have an ekg performed, to see what is going on. Buster is old, and there is no insurance for him, as some pet owners get, but it is worth trying to find out what is wrong. So that's where we are at, so hopefully everything goes well.

Im writing this not only to let everyone know here, cause your all like an extended family to me, but I also hope to educate anyone that may see themselves in a similar situation. thx

 

thanks guys, appreciate it

 

Thank you! We are at the animal hospital waiting for them to complete the ekg. Feels crazy, it's like waiting in a real hospital for a loved one, except there's barking and meowing going on.......

 

Sorry to hear about that ..... Keep us up to date.

 

UPDATE: After the ekg, the doctor said Buster is in the beginning stages of heart failure. He will be on 2 continuous meds to just help with it, but overall a pretty sad day. My wife has had Buster for 15 years, so when the day comes of his passing, she will need prayer. We both know that the time is near, and realize that he is old, this is life, and he had a good one. Thank you everyone for your kind words and support.

 

He hasn't passed yet, he is doing ok, but the clock is ticking. The meds should sustain him for now. Doesn't seem to be in any pain. thx guys

 

Thanx again for the kind words guys- it means a lot