# Vetmedin/pimobendan



## Rico's Mom (Feb 21, 2009)

Hi,
I have a 9 year old chi. He has a grade 3 heart murmur and his heart is mild/moderate enlarged. He is asymptotic, no coughing or panting, or any accumulated fluids. The cardiologist wants him to start pimobendan. The dosage that he prescribed is much higher than the company recommends on their website. He prescribed 1.25 tablet twice a day. According to the recommended dosage on the company chart, that is the dosage for an 11 pound dog. Rico weighs 7.4 pounds. I was just wondering if anybody gives their Chihuahua this medicine and at what dosage and how much does your dog weigh? Also, any side effects?
Thanks so much!


----------



## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I have an 11 year old chi with a severe heart murmur (5/6) and she takes 3 heart meds. She takes the the same medication, plus enalapril and lasix. She does well with all of them, and has no effects that I can see. She has been in 'treatment' for over 3 years. She has developed fluid in the belly (ascites) and that is stable right now. As for dosage I'm not sure. The medication is compounded into a liquid. And she gets 0.5 cc twice a day. So she gets 1.25mg a day of the pimobemdan a day. She weighs almost 7 pounds. hope this is helpful. I would be very frank with your vet and tell him/her that you have read the insert and are worried about over dosage. They should not be angry at you, and be willing to talk to you about their 'heart management' treatment.


----------



## Rico's Mom (Feb 21, 2009)

I went this week to get a second opinion from a highly regarded cardiologist and he said my dog does not require any meds at this time. He said it would have been detrimental to his health to give him the meds especially at that high dose! Glad I did not follow the advice of Dr. Phillip Fox in NYC. I would not recommend this vet.


----------



## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm glad you got another opinion. Just like doctors, vets have different ideas on when to start treatment. Coughing with gagging is a clear sign. Some vets prefer to start treatment as a 'preventive', while others wait for symptoms. Mine started meds when the dog's heart murmur went from a '3/6' to a 5/6. No symptoms. Symptoms started within a few months. She is still going strong 3+years later!


----------



## Rico's Mom (Feb 21, 2009)

I'm so glad to here that she is doing so well on the meds😊
How long did it take for the murmur to become a 5, from a 3?
I know each dog is different tho.


----------



## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Probably about 6-8 months. She'd had a murmur for years, and suddenly it got worse. No reason that I could figure out. Heredity? Her worse problem now is ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity) and severe arthritis. She had 2 failed surgeries on her knee for a torn cruiate (sp?) ligament. I give her lasix and it does help with the fluid.


----------



## Rico's Mom (Feb 21, 2009)

Thank you for that info. Best wishes to you and your dog 😊


----------



## Robel (Mar 6, 2007)

I just lost my baby boy of ten years to a bad heart. He was diagnosed a couple of years ago with a 5/6 heart murmur. He was on enailapil, lasix and pimobenden. We walked twice a day everyday. He did have the cough/ gag five or six times a day. I lost him on Tuesday, the 4th of July. We went for our walk the thursday before, no issues. The next day he started breathing fast. Went down hill from there and died Tuesday. I'm devastated. He was my baby. I miss him so much.


----------



## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Robel, so very sorry for your loss! I can only imagine how much you miss him. My Lulu was diagnosed with CHF the end of June at 9 1/2 years old. You are in my thoughts.


----------

