Guest saltwaterron Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 the vet prescribed vetmed for riley after she developed a level 3 heart murmur. after a couple of months the vet could no longer hear the murmur..doesn't solve the problem but does make things better. anyone have experience with with vetmed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Do you mean Vetmedin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saltwaterron Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Do you mean Vetmedin? yes, dummy me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytHoundPoet Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 My Dalmatian was on it for her dilated cardiomyopathy. That, coupled with some other meds, helped her for a long while. Quote Masquerade Hounds & The Hounds of East Fairhaven & Ibizan Hound Club of the United States Member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saltwaterron Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 riley was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in june 2011. she has gotten to the place where food doesn't really matter. she just ate her morning meal. all she wants to do is go outside and lie in the sun. i think i am a little paranoid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MP_the4pack Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Yup, my Pearl was on it when her heart disease started to worsen. She had a bad mitral valve. But she improved on it. however she was on it only a short time. She died of cancer a few months after starting it. Fibrosarcoma of the spleen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 My Sugar was on it for about a year. It seemed to really help her, but she passed from acute kidney failure. She was on a ton of meds, the cumulative side effect(s) may have done her kidneys in, over time. She was 12 1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I would think it would be a stretch--if I remember correctly you never saw the cardiologist?? Wonder if the medication was warranted in the first place. Pardon me if I'm remembering incorrectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytHoundPoet Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) Dilated cardiomyopathy unfortunately has no cure and always leads to congestive heart failure. Medicines can help slow the progression down, but usually the vet has to adjust doses accordingly throughout the whole time. When my Dal was diagnosed she lasted 2 years before she developed congestive heart failure, and we let her go a couple of months later, when she started refusing food and was having difficulty breathing. I've been told by several specialists that 2 years is a long time to live with DCM so I am grateful that she responded so well to meds for so long. She was on enalapril and vetmedin, and some other things. Just be sure of the diagnosis before you start playing with medications. They are pretty hardcore and have side effects. Edited January 14, 2013 by GreytHoundPoet Quote Masquerade Hounds & The Hounds of East Fairhaven & Ibizan Hound Club of the United States Member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saltwaterron Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I would think it would be a stretch--if I remember correctly you never saw the cardiologist?? Wonder if the medication was warranted in the first place. Pardon me if I'm remembering incorrectly. riley's vet referred me to another vet who performed an ultrasound and discovered the problem. that was june 2011. riley has been on enalapril and just recently the vetmedin. there's just this constant cloud of "how long" that bothers at times. i try to stay positive and tell myself to be thankful for the time we have and what a wonderful girl she is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvAPuppy Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Mousie's been on it and Enalapril and Lasix for probably three years and has had no progression in her grade three murmur. Quote Angie, Pewter, and Storm-puppy Forever missing Misty-Mousie (9/9/99 - 10/5/15)Fort Wayne, Indiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytHoundPoet Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Oh, Lucky Girl was on Lasix too. Quote Masquerade Hounds & The Hounds of East Fairhaven & Ibizan Hound Club of the United States Member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saltwaterron Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Mousie's been on it and Enalapril and Lasix for probably three years and has had no progression in her grade three murmur. wow! that is great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 (edited) Mousie's been on it and Enalapril and Lasix for probably three years and has had no progression in her grade three murmur. Glad Mousie is doing well, but has she had a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) done? What's causing her heart murmur, and does she actually have heart disease? Not all murmurs need to be treated, so if she hasn't had further testing to assess her heart function, she may not even really need to be on the meds. The presence and severity of a murmur doesn't always correlate to severity of disease. Edited January 15, 2013 by JJNg Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 the vet prescribed vetmed for riley after she developed a level 3 heart murmur. after a couple of months the vet could no longer hear the murmur..doesn't solve the problem but does make things better. anyone have experience with with vetmed? Mumurs are rather subjective from what I understand. I was told at Angell Memorial by one vet that my old dog had a mumur. Three days later at another appointment, a different doctor laughed and said that the first vet had probably never heard such a strong, powerful heartbeat and been confused cause he said there was NO trace of a murmur. Angell is a teaching hospital; the first vet was an intern, the second vet was not. No other doctor ever said there was a thing wrong with his heart, so if you haven't had a specialist listen to your hound's heart, you probably should consider it. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saltwaterron Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 two sets of x-rays taken with the second one showing definite signs of heart enlargement. that was about a year ago. surprised the vet hasn't taken anymore. back to the vet in february. when riley has an appointment, the vet just listens to her heart. thank goodness she doesn't charge for that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvAPuppy Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Glad Mousie is doing well, but has she had a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) done? What's causing her heart murmur, and does she actually have heart disease? Not all murmurs need to be treated, so if she hasn't had further testing to assess her heart function, she may not even really need to be on the meds. The presence and severity of a murmur doesn't always correlate to severity of disease. Yes doc she has and yes ma'am she does They didn't Call it CHF but that's what they're treating for. she has enlargement of the heart enough to cause some displacement of the esophagus/trachea. I questioned the lasix personally because she's never had any edema or ascites but she's on such a tiny dose (1/4 of a 12.5 mg pill every third day) that it's not hurting her and it's not like it's expensive (like the Vetmedin!) Last year's BUN/Creat and liver enzymes were all still normal. It does NOT stop her in any way. Until winter arrived we still took our mile walk every evening with her dictating the pace (fast!) and she still bops around the house. I'm seeing more problems with her arthritis then with her heart. We've had to add Dausuquin and a tiny amount of Tramadol for that, 12.5 mg bid. I'm glad SHE doesn't realize she's 13 cuz it breaks my heart to see those little cloudy eyes and stiff joints... Quote Angie, Pewter, and Storm-puppy Forever missing Misty-Mousie (9/9/99 - 10/5/15)Fort Wayne, Indiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 LuvAPuppy, what did the heart ultrasound show, and what was her actual diagnosis? Was the echo done by a cardiologist? I really doubt 1/4 of a 12.5 mg Lasix pill every third day is doing anything for her (although I'd agree it's not hurting her either). Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvAPuppy Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 LuvAPuppy, what did the heart ultrasound show, and what was her actual diagnosis? Was the echo done by a cardiologist? I really doubt 1/4 of a 12.5 mg Lasix pill every third day is doing anything for her (although I'd agree it's not hurting her either). I meant to come back and tell you last night that I appreciated you asking and to apologize to the OP for hijacking the thread, but I do hope it helps her hound! No cardiologist, we don't have one that I know of here in Ft Wayne, we're not That big of a city for being the second largest in the state. The echo was done by a vet who has taken training for it but he's still a general practice vet. His interp was sent to my vet with the recommendation of the meds. I have a copy of the result here somewhere, I'll try and dig it up this weekend, but if I remember correctly, it doesn't have an interp on it, just two stills of the scan and the measurements. THAT's beyond my nursing experience!! All I know is after her tiny dose of lasix she does pee every hour for a couple hours and then she makes it all the way through the night which is only five hours for us. And the way it all came about is the vet that did her dental heard the murmur on the day of her procedure. This is my usual vet practice but not my normal vet, my regular vet didn't do surgeries. She did a CXR, called me, said it was safe to do the anesthesia but she was using more heart friendly meds and recommended the echo. I didn't do it right away, maybe 8 mos to a year later, unfortunately, due to $$ and she seemed fine, no shortness of breath on exertion, good color and the misdiagnosis of murmurs in deep chested breeds. We saw my regular vet for something...routine or tweaked back, and I asked her if SHE heard it, and she said no. I told her the story, she read the record and went out and got the dental vet who walked right in, but the bell of the stethoscope right over the murmur for my regular vet who then agreed it was there and apparently couldn't be heard in any other spot but that one. Everyone says she her heart and lungs still sound great. Quote Angie, Pewter, and Storm-puppy Forever missing Misty-Mousie (9/9/99 - 10/5/15)Fort Wayne, Indiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemandvm Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I think JJNg has made some great posts on this thread. A "heart murmur" is not something that should ever be treated... heart disease is something that should be treated. Heart murmur does not automatically equal heart disease. 1. It is normal for some Greyhounds to have "normal" (aka athletic) heart murmurs... although this are generally quiet in nature (grade 1 or 2). 2. Greyhounds have the appearance of "large" hearts on x-ray. Heart murmur information An echo by a cardiologist (as mentioned previously) is just about the only way to go to be sure of the diagnosis. It may cost $500 to see the cardiologist and get an ultrasound... but imagine how much more money you'd waste on Vetmedin if you didn't actually need the medication. If you don't have a cardiologist in your city... you can generally find one that isn't "too far" away at a veterinary teaching hospital. If Ohio State is possible, they have excellent cardiologists and they see a lot of Greyhounds. Dr. Bonagura at Ohio State is one of the top cardiologists in the entire country. Quote Bill Lady Bella and Sky at the bridge "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anabele France Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.