Could someone help me with a dog problem?

I know that this is a cat website, but since most of you have other animals, I thought someone could help me. My mom took her 9 year old Pomerianan(sp?) to the Vet today because of a dry hack. They did chest X-Rays and found that she's got fluid on her lungs & has an enlarged heart. They told her that our precious puppy could have up to 4 years with us, but may not make it that long if her heart enlarges more. My Mother is extremely upset...she's cried all day long and everytime she sees Mandy (the dog), she gets upset all over again.
I just thought that maybe someone from here would know a little bit about this condition. Mandy seems to be just as frisky as ever and it just seems weird that they told her she could pass away at any moment.
Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated.

I'm sorry to hear about your pup. Congestive heart failure is caused by an abnormality in the structure and or function of the heart that makes it so the heart is unable to pump normal amounts of blood to the body. When the heart fails it leads to fluid retention in the lungs leading to congestive heart failure(which sounds like what your pup has). This is quite common in older small breeds and I've seen quite a few Pom's with this condition.

It's a good idea to keep a close eye on her and notice other symtoms as a sign that the condition has worsened. Look for shortness of breath, fatigue, difficultly breathing and coughing which you've already seen.

Do you know what meds she was given? Often dogs with this condition are given a diuretic and enalapril and giving these are very important in hopefully slowing down the progression of this condition. Sometimes the vet will recommend a diet change as well that limits sodium intake and prevents fluid retention.

At home make sure she gets any meds as directed and be aware of her activities and exercise capacity. It might help to write down anything abnormal or any concerns so you can bring them to your vet's attention.

Just try to avoid excessive exercise with her, high heat and it helps to avoid food and treats with a high sodium content.

On a positive note I know of a Pom who was given 2 months to live at the most because her heart is so bad and almost a year later she's still going. Just keep up on your vet's instructions and enjoy the time you have with her now. I'm sure with a family who cares so much about her she'll be just fine.

Good luck!!

Thank you so much for useful info that you gave me. Our Vet didn't tell us much about it, so our family was kind of confused about this. We have to take Mandy in next week for a check up with the Vet, so hopefully we will hear some good news from them.
Thank you once again,
Shell