Teddy had degenerative mitral valve disease with severe incompetence of the mitral valve. He also had high blood pressure (which accompanies heart disease) which combined with the mitral valve problem to cause the fainting (syncope). Fainting occurs due to insufficient blood flow, and therefore oxygen supply, to the brain.
His medications included:
Furosemide (Frudix) a diuretic 30 mg 3 x a day
Spironolactone a diuretic 6.25 mg twice a day
Vetmedin 2.5 mg 2 x a day for severe congestive heart failure
Vetace 5 mg for heart failure
Benazepril 5 mg for high blood pressure
Meloxicam 50 ml non-steroidal anti inflammatory
Phenomav 30 mg anti-convulsant
but he wasn't on them all, all the time.
After fainting it's normal for the dog to cry out, to empty their bladder (which Teddy used to do) and to be unable/reluctant to get up for a minute afterwards. The vet said he would be shaken up by it but reckoned it wouldn't actually hurt, although how they know I don't know, in terms of no pain. Certainly Teddy would cry out, whether from fright or pain I don't know.
Very sadly I had him put to sleep (euthanised) one month after this video was taken as he was too miserable to go on, poor little darling. I look forward to seeing him again one day as I'm sure I will.
Update: One viewer said after trying everything their cardiologist added Sildenafil which is used for pulmonary (lung) arterial hypertension (high blood pressure) and it helped a lot.
