fiery_di Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 (edited) Bobby the Iggy has been quite knocked around by this heat. We have kept him indoors during the day in the air conditioning, but put him out last night as per normal for bed time. The night wasnt overly hot, but not overly cool either. Anyway, came out this morning and he could barely pick himself up!! Naturally S & I thought the worst and were readying ourselves for a last goodbye!! So off to the vet S dashed. Half hr later and back with Vetmedin capsules for dogs. It seems that Bobby has thickening of the heart walls. He is still not himself, quick ultrasound revealed this, BUT the vet advised that these are basically 'miracle' like drugs, and that we should see a vast improvement in the next 3 to 5 days.. Anyone else have their dog on these meds?? At $150 pack/100 lasting him 50 days (two tabs per day) I can say they arent cheap!! I guess the decision that has to be made now is whether it is worth keeping Bobby on these meds when this lot run out. Bobby is approaching 13. He is an iggy, he is epileptic and on 1.5 tabs per day of Phenomav. Is it cruel to keep him going?? The vet assured S that he is not suffering whatsoever. Just knocks him around a bit. But having come home from work and discovering Bobby lying on the lounge hardly moving and looking so sad & sorry for himself I am hoping he isnt suffering. Maybe he is just tired?? It is going to be a difficult summer if we are both working.. But we will cross that bridge and make allowances when it presents itself. His age is a major factor as to where to go from here. Any thoughts/info appreciated. Edited November 20, 2009 by fiery_di Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 So sorry to hear about Boibby. Jessie (now at the "Bridge" was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) when she was 9.5 years. The prognosis was "6 months, 12 if she's lucky". Jessie astounded the vets and made it to 3 years, living everyday to the fullest. For the first 6 months she was on Fortekor, then her Vet discovered a new drug, Vetmedin and we changed to it. Jessie had a lot more energy on the Vetmedin. In addition to the Vetmedin, Jessie was on diuretics. I also had her on every vitamin supplement that I could find to help her heart as well as a raw diet. Good luck with Bobby. I'm sure that once the Vetmedin kicks in he'll feel much better to you both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiery_di Posted November 20, 2009 Author Share Posted November 20, 2009 Thanks for the feedback Bully!! Good to know that you got another 3yrs out of her!! That is AWESOME!! Well I shall just try to bide the time over the next 3-5 days and see how the ol Bobster goes.. I have a sneaking suspicion that he is milking it a teeeeeny bit too!! Sitting.. LYING on the lounge looking quite comfortable!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 If he has not beem getting medicated at all for his heart you will probably see a quite large improvement. Sometimes they have slowed down quite a bit but over a long period of time so you don't realise just how much the heart problem was affecting them. Our aged Stafford is on heart medication. We have been offered Vetmedin on top of Fortekor and frusimide. Due to the fact it will cost an extra $2.50 or so per day ontop of the costs of his existing heart medication - no to mention the two different sorts of medication he is on for his spine and arthritis - we just cannot afford it long term. He has been on heart medication for 2 years and although the heat has knocked him this year, he has been good up until now. He still comes on short walks, eats with gusto, plays from time to time. His spine and elbow are causing him more problems than his heart at this point in time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I had a girl on it after she didn't improve on Fortekor. It didn't give her great relief and I ended up putting her to sleep after maybe 5 or 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 (edited) Vetmedin can make an enormous difference to the quality of life of a dog with heart failure. The current recommendation for congestive heart failure is a triple therapy of pimobendan (Vetmedin), benazepril (Fortekor) and frusemide. If for some reason it is not possible to use all 3, then Vetmedin is suggested as the sole drug (ideally Vetmedin and frusemide in that case). It's a good idea to have chest radiographs for information about heart size, pulmonary oedema etc. A cardiac ultrasound is also very useful to assess the actual function of the heart. As for whether or not to keep going - thats a matter of quality of life, your expectations and your limitations. There is the potential for affected dogs to return to almost normal and to keep going for many months longer than would be fair if you did not pursue treatment. Is he in otherwise good health? Is his epilepsy under control? Any underlying medical conditions of concern (such as kidney disease)? If you've just been handed medication without a good explanation, don't be afraid to go and ask your vet all your questions as well. If you can't decide or don't know, then get as much information as you need to be comfortable (including blood tests etc). Edited November 21, 2009 by Rappie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlygirl Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 What rappie says is good advice, could you not use half of a 5mg tablet twice daily, would this possibly be more cost effective Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emilee Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 (edited) What rappie says is good advice, could you not use half of a 5mg tablet twice daily, would this possibly be more cost effective Vetmedin comes in a capsule not a tablet so it is difficult to halve and get an accurate dose Edited November 21, 2009 by emilee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Vetmedin comes in a capsule not a tablet so it is difficult to halve and get an accurate dose Vetmedin is now available as chewable tablet as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissMolly Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 (edited) I have a cavalier on Vetmedin and the change is her is amazing, before she was diagnosed with a heart murmer she had trouble breathing and when she was sleeping she would wake up gasping to get her breath.. Since been on vetmedin (after a few days) she does not have these problems anymore.. I pay around $100 for 100 tablets from my vet so it might pay to shop around for them.. Edited November 21, 2009 by MissMolly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTD Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Good to know of some great results. Molly has been put on frusamide and is having a ultra sound and xray next week and then most probably will go on vetmedin. Why wouldn't she be put on vetmedin straight away ? Vet sort of said if we get good response to the fluid tabs then he would put her on them after the xray and ultra sound confirmed that it was the valve causing the problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninahartland Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 My last Wolfhound was on Vetmedin for about the last 18 months of his life. It was expensive and I can't remember the dose he was on but the vet at the time (about 4 years ago ) said it was the best drug around for his heart condition. I like to think it gave him a little bit longer with us anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiery_di Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 Vetmedin can make an enormous difference to the quality of life of a dog with heart failure. The current recommendation for congestive heart failure is a triple therapy of pimobendan (Vetmedin), benazepril (Fortekor) and frusemide. If for some reason it is not possible to use all 3, then Vetmedin is suggested as the sole drug (ideally Vetmedin and frusemide in that case). It's a good idea to have chest radiographs for information about heart size, pulmonary oedema etc. A cardiac ultrasound is also very useful to assess the actual function of the heart. As for whether or not to keep going - thats a matter of quality of life, your expectations and your limitations. There is the potential for affected dogs to return to almost normal and to keep going for many months longer than would be fair if you did not pursue treatment. Is he in otherwise good health? Is his epilepsy under control? Any underlying medical conditions of concern (such as kidney disease)? If you've just been handed medication without a good explanation, don't be afraid to go and ask your vet all your questions as well. If you can't decide or don't know, then get as much information as you need to be comfortable (including blood tests etc). Well crossing all the fingers & toes here that Bobby responds well to the Vetmedin. Might also speak to the vet in regards to putting him onto the Fortekor as well. The vet did do a quick ultrasound on his heart and basically came to the conclusion the hardening of the heart walls from that. It was said that a more intrusive ultrasound would give him more conclusive information, but said that it would stress him quite a bit, and dont have the option of putting him under as being the age he is with epilepsy/congestive heart failure the chances of him coming out of it were NOT good at all!! His other vital functions are quite good. Kidneys positive, liver also positive which is a massive bonus as from what the vet told us the barbiturates do play havoc on the liver causing it to become enlarged. Not so worried about the expense of the meds, just more concerned that he hasnt improved in the last couple of days. This is his third day on the Vetmedin, and he is listless, hardly drinking (we are somewhat syringing him water, which he takes quite readily but will not drink from the bowl). He is still eating, which is good, but not with the voracious appetite he usually displays. I am of the mindset that if things dont improve for him in the next couple of weeks that it would be viciously cruel to keep him going. The vet insists he is in no pain, but the poor bugger looks so sad.. Will keep you all updated on his progress.. Fingers crossed that the meds take affect soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I do hope Bobby picks up soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Fingers crossed he pickes up soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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