Compared to a healthy dog, perioperative fluid management for a dog with congestive heart failure should...

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Managing fluids around surgery in a dog with congestive heart failure focuses on avoiding fluid overload while preserving adequate organ perfusion. The failing heart can’t tolerate a large preload, so fluid administration is kept intentionally conservative, with careful monitoring of blood pressure, oxygenation, and signs of congestion. In practice, you provide the minimal necessary maintenance fluids and adjust based on real-time hemodynamic data; if perfusion is dipping, colloids can help maintain intravascular volume with less total fluid, and diuresis may be considered to prevent or treat congestion. This balance lowers the risk of pulmonary edema and respiratory compromise while avoiding hypoperfusion. Approaches that involve no fluids or large boluses would either jeopardize perfusion or worsen edema, making them unsuitable for this scenario.