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Signs of Congestive Heart Failure

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.

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    Coughing

    Coughing that’s due to congestive heart failure typically becomes persistent, including when resting or sleeping.

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    Difficulty breathing

    Fluid may begin to accumulate in the lungs, which can cause difficulty breathing without strenuous or even moderate activity.

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    Changes in behavior

    You may notice excessive panting, not being as eager to play, or other changes in behavior that feel out of character.

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    Lethargy

    Dogs with congestive heart failure may tire more easily and be less willing to go on walks or play.

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    Restlessness, especially at night

    Some dogs may pace before bedtime, have challenges settling down, or excessively cough while sleeping.

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    Changes in appetite

    In combination with these other signs, a decrease in appetite could be a sign of congestive heart failure in your dog.

Monitor Heart Health
With My Pet’s
Heart2Heart App

Monitoring your dog's resting respiratory rate (RRR) can reliably predict if your dog will go into heart failure and identify heart disease progression. Download the My Pet's Heart2Heart app to make it easy to monitor your dog's RRR at home. The app will regularly email results to your vet to ensure your dog receives care as soon as it's needed. Follow up for a consultation with your vet if you have any concerns.

heart app

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.