Ask the Vet About Congestive Heart Failure in Dogs and Cats

HEY! Heart disease is a balancing game with Kidney Failure - due to LASIXS causing kidney disease from long term use. But the Lasixs is what gets the fluid off the lungs, helps them breath and stops the coughing. But it has the kidney failure side effects. Since your dog is a chihuahua, the coughing could be due to a weak or collapsed trachea, which is very common for chihuahuas to have. For this you can use Hycodan Liquid (cough syrup) to suppress the cough. However, if the cough is from fluid on the lungs, your chihuahua will keep coughing and be uncomfortable. I personally just put to sleep my 18 year old chihuahua Tod from heard disease. He did live 2 more years on heart medicine before he died. So the Pimobendan and Lasixs prolonged his life. He was also on Gabapentin for pain and Hycodan for coughing too! So talk to your vet about those two things. STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR VET. And do lots of rechecks with Heart Disease. This was a long answer and I hope it helped you! Dr. Lindsay Butzer PLEASE CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBvlURdNKSJ2oRbzUB1_JQw

Hey! There are no over the counter medications for heart disease in dogs I am so sorry! You need to get prescription medication by your veterinarian. To prolong their lives heart medications for pets are very effective. ~ Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! Coughing can be due to heart disease, tracheal issues or pneumonias. Please have your local veterinarian do an in-person physical exam on your dog to prescribe the right medications. I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! I recommend a food that is low in calories for dogs with heart disease so they stay in shape if they are overweight such as Blue Buffalo GI low fat diet linked here. If they are losing weight due to heart disease I recommend feeding them a diet that is higher in protein but low in sodium. If your pet is very geriatric I recommend feeding them boiled chicken plain bland and pat dry with a paper towel to get most of the grease off, to keep weight on them. DIET LINK: https://www.1800petmeds.com/blue+natural+veterinary+diet+gi+gastrointestinal+support+low+fat+dry+dog+food-prod61197.html I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Her medications may need to be adjusted and/or she may be at a point where the medications may not help anymore or she may have another condition either on top of the congestive heart failure or a different problem all together.

It entirely depends on the severity of his heart failure so consult your veterinarian for the best advice about this.

Probably but it may depend on which drops you plan on using, what medications your dog is on, etc. so your veterinarian is the best one to ask.

Yes - he probably needs bloodwork to rule out things like hyperthyroidism, x-rays and ultrasound for confirmation of the heart disease and severity of the condition to determine which medications are most appropriate. I live in Georgia, so asking veterinarians in your surrounding area about prices will give you a better idea about prices but that sounds about right for all of that up there.

One with high omega 3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 may help, like this product: https://www.1800petmeds.com/natural+dog+company+multivitamin+supplement+chews-prod12837.html

Your veterinarian is definitely the best one to ask because it depends on the severity, his/her symptoms, bloodwork, x-rays, etc. Here is a link to our article about congestive heart failure with various treatment options (both over-the-counter and prescription) under the treatment tab: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/congestive-heart-failure

I would advise against doing this until you contact your veterinarian that has access to his last bloodwork: I would want to be sure his kidney and liver function are good before doing that.

Yes, there are many potential treatment options for dogs with congestive heart problems - much of the same medications human take - most will require a prescription from your veterinarian. Here is a direct link to our page detailing treatment options for dogs with CHF: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/congestive-heart-failure-treatment-dog-c.html

I'm so sorry to hear that about Missy! Since Vetmedin has been out for many years now, it seems fairly safe so I am more suspicious that the underlying heart failure might have been the cause, but I would need to know a lot more about her to really guess (her weight, what her bloodwork looked like prior to starting, specifically her kidneys, etc.) so speak directly with the veterinarian that prescribed the Vetmedin for the best advice.

It really depends on the dog, but usually it will be given for the long term rather than short term.

In veterinary medicine, a veterinarian that has met your pet face-to-face must approve any prescription medications.