Heart Medication

[Amymay Again]

Daisy has started taking heart medication for early stage heart disease.

She has been quite poorly, but is hugely improved and I would say she's at a recovered stage of about 85%. She's an older dog now at 11, but is (now) looking really great and well, much to everyone's relief.

The medication she's on on is Vetmedin, and one of the side effects is lethargy. And I would say she's definitely lethargic. Her heart was reviewed yesterday and it is now at a nearly normal rate (was dangerously low a month ago).

Does anyone have experience of this particular drug?

Thanks.

 

[CorvusCorax]

It's a side effect of heart meds for humans too. Glad she's feeling better.

 

[Amymay Again]

It's a side effect of heart meds for humans too. Glad she's feeling better.

Ah, ok. That's good to know. Thanks x

 

[misst]

No knowledge of anything useful but thinking of you xxx

 

[meleeka]

My parents dog was on it for several years. He was perhaps a bit lethargic, but my parents let him put on weight, so that may well be the reason for that. He was a happy little thing and didn't suffer any noticeable side effects.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My little dog was on it for several years. I do remember him slowing down but it was a small price to pay for the huge improvement to his life in general.
He was also on a diuretic, first vets didn’t mention or prescribe that but second vets said ideally he would be on that as well as the vetmedin. It was dirt cheap for little dogs and also really helped a lot.
If she’s not on it especially if she starts coughing id recommend asking about it.

Glad she is doing better x

 

[Amymay Again]

My little dog was on it for several years. I do remember him slowing down but it was a small price to pay for the huge improvement to his life in general.
He was also on a diuretic, first vets didn’t mention or prescribe that but second vets said ideally he would be on that as well as the vetmedin. It was dirt cheap for little dogs and also really helped a lot.
If she’s not on it especially if she starts coughing id recommend asking about it.

Glad she is doing better x

Thanks. The Heart Specialist didn't mention diuretics, but I'll mention it to my vet next time I see her xx

 

[poiuytrewq]

Thanks. The Heart Specialist didn't mention diuretics, but I'll mention it to my vet next time I see her xx

Mine may have been at a later stage but as I recall the heart not beating as well as it should meant a build up of fluid on his lungs hence the coughing, apparently a very common thing with heart problems in dogs amd people and as I say super cheap and easy to deal with.

 

[Jenny06]

Mine was on it for a few months, didn’t notice any side effects really but he was sleeping a lot at 14yrs old anyway. He ended up being on vetmedin, cardalis and furosemide but he was end stage heart failure at the point of diagnosis.

 

[Amymay Again]

Mine may have been at a later stage but as I recall the heart not beating as well as it should meant a build up of fluid on his lungs hence the coughing, apparently a very common thing with heart problems in dogs amd people and as I say super cheap and easy to deal with.

Thanks. Really useful to know. She's never coughed, and is at the lower stage of stage 2. But all useful information that I'm grateful for you sharing

 

[fiwen30]

My boy was diagnosed with a stage 2 heart murmur around 8 years old, when he started to present with a hacking cough when exercising; confirmed by a heart scan. He was put onto Vetmedin and Frusemide straight away and remained on those for the rest of his life, until 13. The Frusemide dose changed a tiny bit over the years, but his heart murmur never worsened during that time. He went under anaesthetic once for a cruciate surgery aged 10, and came through fine.