Education
Welcome to our
Education Hub
Here you'll find essential information about heart disease and congestive heart failure in dogs, so you can understand signs, risk factors and treatment options.
HEART DISEASE
Heart Disease in
Dogs
Heart disease is common—10% of dogs will be diagnosed with heart disease in their lifetime.1,2 Early intervention can help extend survival time, with a higher quality of life.
Articles by Category
Types of Heart Diseases
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Educate yourself on the ins and outs of heart diseases like myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and how they can lead to congestive heart failure in dogs.
VETMEDIN® (pimobendan) or Compounded medications
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If your dog has a certain type of heart disease, your veterinarian may recommend a medication called VETMEDIN® (pimobendan). You might also hear about something called compounded medications. Let's break it down so you can make the best choice for your dog.
Breeds at Risk for Heart Failure due to MMVD and DCM
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Different kinds of heart failure impact different breeds, so learn more about the risks for your dog.
Signs of Congestive Heart Failure
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When a dog’s heart disease progresses to congestive heart failure, you may notice these clinical signs. If you see these signs in your dog, contact your vet immediately. With proper treatment, many dogs diagnosed with congestive heart failure go on to enjoy an improved quality of life.
Your Guide to Congestive Heart Failure
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Hearing that your dog has heart disease or congestive heart failure (CHF) can be a worrying time. Although congestive heart failure is a serious condition, with early diagnosis and treatment, dogs can live a happy life for many months, and even years.
Important Safety Information
VETMEDIN® (pimobendan) Chewable Tablets and VETMEDIN® Solution (pimobendan oral solution) are for use only in dogs with clinical evidence of heart failure. The most common side effects reported in field studies were poor appetite, lethargy, diarrhea, dyspnea, azotemia, weakness, and ataxia. VETMEDIN® should not be given in case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, aortic stenosis, or any other clinical condition where an augmentation of cardiac output is inappropriate for functional or anatomical reasons.
For more information, please see full prescribing information for Solution or full prescribing information for Chewable Tablets.
VETMEDIN®-CA1 (pimobendan) are for use only in dogs with preclinical MMVD that have a moderate or loud mitral murmur due to mitral regurgitation and cardiomegaly (Stage B2 MMVD, 2019 ACVIM Consensus Statement1). VETMEDIN®-CA1 is conditionally approved by FDA pending a full demonstration of effectiveness under application number 141-556. A diagnosis of MMVD should be made by means of a comprehensive physical and cardiac examination, which should include radiography and echocardiography. The most common side effects seen in dogs with Stage B2 MMVD while taking VETMEDIN®-CA1 Chewable Tablets are cough, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and localized pain (such as in the neck or legs). Adverse reactions not related to disease progression in dogs receiving VETMEDIN®-CA1 included diarrhea, vomiting, pain, lameness, arthritis, urinary tract infection, and seizure.
For more information, please refer to the package insert.