Stage 3 Congestive Heart Failure Dogs. The symptoms of congestive heart failure for a dog are coughing, respiratory problems, difficulty breathing, fatigue and a loss of appetite. As the congestive heart failure progresses, symptoms become a little more obvious.
Congestive heart failure (chf) is a term that refers to the heart’s inability to pump adequate blood to the body. In some dogs, abdominal swelling becomes apparent. Congestive heart failure in dogs occurs when the heart is unable to pump an adequate amount of blood to the body, thus causing an increase in pressure and fluid that eventually leaks into the lungs and, less frequently, other major organs.