congestive heart failiure misdiagnosis vs lung trouble

[boubou64]

Hello, new to this forum
I do not know what to think now, we thought our little Mitsy had conjestive heart failure but turns out that her main problem right now is her right lung.
I would like your input as what you think
We have an 11 year old (in november) female chihuahua that's been the perfect picture of health all of her life other than a slightly colapsed trachea due to her previous owner (of 6 months time) using a colar.
In the last year, she's developped coughing in the morning, or evening, restlessness. We went to our vet and he told us she had a heart murmur (which we knew of but it was not severe until just recently). We did an ultrasound at the local general vet practice and xrays and the vet put our Mitsy on vetmedin and lasix. The lasix helped the coughing but her breathing rate has dramatically increased in the last month. enough for us to feel alarmed. The vet increased the lasix, no more coughing but yet, she still struggles for air. she has lost appetite and last night she kept her head up in the air. We went to emerg and lasix shot was given and we then drove her to a vet hospital in Ottawa. She was on oxygen. She saw the cardiologist and he did chest xrays, echocardiogram, blood pressure, bloodwork and urinalysis. His diadnosis today was: Severe mitral regurgitation at risk for congestive heart failure. Right lung consolidation, possibly bronchopneumonia or mucus entrapment.

The cardiologist also looked at the original xrays taken one year ago from our vet and is very uncomfortable with Mitsy being on Lasix, he says she isn't into congestive heart failure. Her valve is diseasy, there is a severe murmur but not congestive heart failure. I wish we had gone to him in the first place.
Now, I was wondering why if Mitsy was on lasix, the cough would go away, but yet, she was still breathing really fast and sometimes hard.
Also, she has NO trouble sleeping on her side or her stomach, that's never been an issue. Her coughing is not the weezing type, more like a dry ackkkk gag type that stops when done. She does cough after excitement and running or hot humid weather (we control that now).
Meds for Mitsy (8 lbs) now:
Fortekor ACE inhibitor
Norvasc calcium channel blocker for high blood pressure
spiroton diuretic
vemedin
theo bronchodilator
clavamox antibiotics
flovent
salbutamol

Mitsy was released back to us today (so happy!) with all these meds.
She's always been really good at taking the vetmedin but now her appetite is lacking and I have to force the meds down her troath, I do no like doing that. Do you have any recommendation, tricks as a nicer way to administer the pills? crush them? mix them with favorite treat?