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Bad reaction to Vetmedin
My 8 year old, 7 lb yorkie was prescribed Vetmedin on Friday (1/2 a tablet every 12 hours). After administiring the first dose his breathing instantly went to normal, however all day Saturday and Sunday he has been extremely lethargic. Yesterday I got him to eat some chicken, sweet potatoe and peas. Fast forward to the middle of the night/this morning and he won't stop throwing up.
I'm taking him to the vet at 9:30 I was just curious about other people's experiences with this drug. I seriously spent all day yesterday researching people's experiences with it and all I could find were people hailing it and now I'm scared my little guy is the small percentage that can't handle it and we will lose him a lot sooner than expected.
He was seen by a cardiologist and had an echocardiogram done and the cardiologist gave him a clean bill of heart health and thought all of his problems were related bronchial issues. When my vet called him to let him know my dog wasn't responding to the bronchial medications he said could have a ripped cordinae tindae and Vetmedin could help.
I'm taking him to the vet at 9:30 I was just curious about other people's experiences with this drug. I seriously spent all day yesterday researching people's experiences with it and all I could find were people hailing it and now I'm scared my little guy is the small percentage that can't handle it and we will lose him a lot sooner than expected.
He was seen by a cardiologist and had an echocardiogram done and the cardiologist gave him a clean bill of heart health and thought all of his problems were related bronchial issues. When my vet called him to let him know my dog wasn't responding to the bronchial medications he said could have a ripped cordinae tindae and Vetmedin could help.
Yes we have had a bad reaction to vetmedin. - Fainting spells...
Three years ago my little Shih Tzu **** had a heart murmur of a 3.
He was placed on vetmedin the only drug he was on. It was to prevent the murmur from getting worse.
Three weeks later he had a fainting spell. First one ever. I took him in and they thought it was his heart- and told me he must continue on the medicine. We worked on lowering it as low as we could but it didn't seem to help.
A couple more weeks after that he was having them every hour.
I told my vet that I was no longer going to give him this medicine.
It took four weeks to get out of his body. It was heartbreaking to watch.
His fainting spells stopped after the vetmedin was out of his system- however maybe once a year if I can remember he would have one when excited. This was definitely a new thing we experienced after this medicine.
I called the FDA during all of this and they had a case study done on my dog. They told me that vetmedin can cause seizures and this is on the warnings that are handed out with the drug.
I'm glad we got him off of it for them to stop.
Fast forward to now. He is now 13 years old and his heart murmur had increased to a 5.
You can hear his heart murmur from him laying next to you.
I had an echo done on his heart. It wasn't that in large and his lungs are good.
This new cardiologist suggest that we put him on a liquid form of vetmedin. She had said sometimes it's the way the medicine is made that can cause such reactions.
They went over and over the benefits of this drug.
I thought okay we will try it and see.
Three weeks after his fainting spells are back. The cardiologist informed me that she thought it was Vado vagal.
An episode that happens when the heart doesn't produce enough blood for the brain.
That it is very important that we keep him on vetmedin and if his episodes continue we can put them on another drug to help balance them out.
She also said she thought it was a coincidence that they started on the medicine and it must be due to his bad heart.
After her again going into all the benefits of this drug I went against my judgement and kept him on a little longer to test it out.
That was two weeks ago and today he has had three.
I am now going to slowly decrease his intake and get him completely off. Despite what his cardiologist tells me.
I find it not a coincidence that this very same thing is happening to him as it did three years ago.
It's for sure the medicine.
Not all drugs work for humans- it's the same with animals.
My neighbor told me of an Herb that her vet gave to her to use for her dog's bad heart murmur and he lived for years after.
It's called "young at heart for dogs with heart problems"
It's online.
I have no idea if this is going to work and I'm definitely not trying to advertise it.
But I know first hand how frustrating it is to be told that vetmedin is the only thing that can work for your dog. It pulls on the heartstrings.
So I'm going to try this Herb...
if anyone has ever tried it or anything else other than vetmedin- I would love to hear your story!
Also wanted to add..... my sisters dog the biological dog from mine. Had the same thing happen to him. Was put on vetmedin for a minor heart murmur and had his first fainting spell three weeks later – she kept him on the medicine because they told her it was his heart and not the drug - as yes fainting spells can be due to the heart- but again he never had them before. Three months later he passed away.
Another reason I'm worried with him being from the same litter.
Hope my post helps someone out there-- I definitely feel your pain on this subject!
Take care!
Three years ago my little Shih Tzu **** had a heart murmur of a 3.
He was placed on vetmedin the only drug he was on. It was to prevent the murmur from getting worse.
Three weeks later he had a fainting spell. First one ever. I took him in and they thought it was his heart- and told me he must continue on the medicine. We worked on lowering it as low as we could but it didn't seem to help.
A couple more weeks after that he was having them every hour.
I told my vet that I was no longer going to give him this medicine.
It took four weeks to get out of his body. It was heartbreaking to watch.
His fainting spells stopped after the vetmedin was out of his system- however maybe once a year if I can remember he would have one when excited. This was definitely a new thing we experienced after this medicine.
I called the FDA during all of this and they had a case study done on my dog. They told me that vetmedin can cause seizures and this is on the warnings that are handed out with the drug.
I'm glad we got him off of it for them to stop.
Fast forward to now. He is now 13 years old and his heart murmur had increased to a 5.
You can hear his heart murmur from him laying next to you.
I had an echo done on his heart. It wasn't that in large and his lungs are good.
This new cardiologist suggest that we put him on a liquid form of vetmedin. She had said sometimes it's the way the medicine is made that can cause such reactions.
They went over and over the benefits of this drug.
I thought okay we will try it and see.
Three weeks after his fainting spells are back. The cardiologist informed me that she thought it was Vado vagal.
An episode that happens when the heart doesn't produce enough blood for the brain.
That it is very important that we keep him on vetmedin and if his episodes continue we can put them on another drug to help balance them out.
She also said she thought it was a coincidence that they started on the medicine and it must be due to his bad heart.
After her again going into all the benefits of this drug I went against my judgement and kept him on a little longer to test it out.
That was two weeks ago and today he has had three.
I am now going to slowly decrease his intake and get him completely off. Despite what his cardiologist tells me.
I find it not a coincidence that this very same thing is happening to him as it did three years ago.
It's for sure the medicine.
Not all drugs work for humans- it's the same with animals.
My neighbor told me of an Herb that her vet gave to her to use for her dog's bad heart murmur and he lived for years after.
It's called "young at heart for dogs with heart problems"
It's online.
I have no idea if this is going to work and I'm definitely not trying to advertise it.
But I know first hand how frustrating it is to be told that vetmedin is the only thing that can work for your dog. It pulls on the heartstrings.
So I'm going to try this Herb...
if anyone has ever tried it or anything else other than vetmedin- I would love to hear your story!
Also wanted to add..... my sisters dog the biological dog from mine. Had the same thing happen to him. Was put on vetmedin for a minor heart murmur and had his first fainting spell three weeks later – she kept him on the medicine because they told her it was his heart and not the drug - as yes fainting spells can be due to the heart- but again he never had them before. Three months later he passed away.
Another reason I'm worried with him being from the same litter.
Hope my post helps someone out there-- I definitely feel your pain on this subject!
Take care!
1 Comments
My doberman 8 1/2 years old put on Vetmedin. Her lungs started pounding, tacycardia, loss of interest in water or food & so spacey that she just stands there like she has no idea where she is. I am taking her off for now until I see a vet cardiologist 8-5-17. I am rotating spironolactone & lasix & adding enalopril. If I don't she will be dead before 8-5-17! This drug my be ok in much much smaller doses than prescribed. She has cardiomyopathy per x-ray at vet. Cardiologist will be doing echo to get better picture of things.
Hey guys - your convo has been very helpful to me - i believe that my dog is having adverse reactions to the vetmedin - i had suspected that was the problem, but after reading your posts there were so many common issues that i'm pretty sure that's what's going on and i want him off of it.
so my question is this.... currently he's on 1 pill 2x per day.... i was planning to ween him down... starting tomorrow morning to half a pill twice a day..... for a day or 2, then half a pill once a day for a couple days..... but my question is this - did either of you just stop abruptly? part of me just wants to stop but i'm not sure if that's safe - he's been on it for about 3 months now....if you did stop without weening, how long had they been on the meds prior and how did it go?
to ween or not to ween.... that is the question.
thank you so much, just for posting this convo - i have been terrified and this gave me some hope.
so my question is this.... currently he's on 1 pill 2x per day.... i was planning to ween him down... starting tomorrow morning to half a pill twice a day..... for a day or 2, then half a pill once a day for a couple days..... but my question is this - did either of you just stop abruptly? part of me just wants to stop but i'm not sure if that's safe - he's been on it for about 3 months now....if you did stop without weening, how long had they been on the meds prior and how did it go?
to ween or not to ween.... that is the question.
thank you so much, just for posting this convo - i have been terrified and this gave me some hope.
Hi, it's been about a week since you changed to the Vetmedin 1/4 pill
twice a day and I was just wondering how Oliver is doing now on the
medication?
Oliver is right around 7 pounds so IF the 1/4 twice a day is not working
well for him(???) AND although Mr. Benson is about half Oliver's weight
if the 1/2 total pill a day is not working perhaps you might ask your vet if
1/8 twice a day would be alright for Oliver?(maybe the 1/2 pill-1/4 twice
a day is still too much medication for HIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM...the
same that is suggested doesn't always work for EVERY DOG out there.
How is Oliver eating(?) I know when Mr. B had too much in his system,
higher dose he just didn't want to eat, another reason we started lower-
ing his medication amount and for him this works really good.
Hope you found the right dose amount by now and Oliver is doing better?
twice a day and I was just wondering how Oliver is doing now on the
medication?
Oliver is right around 7 pounds so IF the 1/4 twice a day is not working
well for him(???) AND although Mr. Benson is about half Oliver's weight
if the 1/2 total pill a day is not working perhaps you might ask your vet if
1/8 twice a day would be alright for Oliver?(maybe the 1/2 pill-1/4 twice
a day is still too much medication for HIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM...the
same that is suggested doesn't always work for EVERY DOG out there.
How is Oliver eating(?) I know when Mr. B had too much in his system,
higher dose he just didn't want to eat, another reason we started lower-
ing his medication amount and for him this works really good.
Hope you found the right dose amount by now and Oliver is doing better?
Thanks for all the help Jan!
I do understand what you're saying, I've been speaking with my vet and she recommended 1/4 of a pill once a day, but this wasn't doing anything for him so I asked her if I could do it twice a day and she agreed this would be fine.
His breathing is doing great, as it did the first time on Vetmedin, but he is back to being really lethargic and is so skinny :( He's still eating though so I want to keep him on the 1/4 of a pill, twice a day to see if his body can get used to it.
I do understand what you're saying, I've been speaking with my vet and she recommended 1/4 of a pill once a day, but this wasn't doing anything for him so I asked her if I could do it twice a day and she agreed this would be fine.
His breathing is doing great, as it did the first time on Vetmedin, but he is back to being really lethargic and is so skinny :( He's still eating though so I want to keep him on the 1/4 of a pill, twice a day to see if his body can get used to it.
1 Comments
Yes, i am having the same issue. I did not give any this am and she ate better but still diarrhea
Hi,
First you said that your vet wanted him on 1/2 a Vetmedin TWICE a day
have you talked to the vet about lowering his dose down to 1/4 a pill
ONCE a day? Perhaps your vet would want you to try the 1/4 twice a
day(?) this would be 1/2 pill total for Oliver for the day BUT YOU NEED
TO ASK YOUR VET before changing meds for Oliver to be sure he is
getting enough but not too much in his system and not too little to help
him.( all the medication changes were done with my vet doing this for
Mr. Benson)
Also Oliver weighs 7 pounds and Mr. Benson only weighs 3-1/2 pounds
so there is a LARGE difference in weight from Benson and Oliver, this
is why I say you need to talk with and have your vet make changes in
the dose....1/8 a pill seems very low for a 7 pound dog even twice a day
I also have other Yorkies and they weigh 6 to 7 pounds and compared
along side Mr. Benson his is about 1/4 their over all size so back to your
veterinarian, ASK HIM about a lesser amount divided twice or whatever
he feels would work best for Oliver. It is a trial and keep trying thing with any medication until the right dose and right amount is found to work.
You said you are giving 1/4 a pill ONCE A DAY but your vet wanted him
on 1/2 a pill TWICE A DAY that is a huge difference in amounts...
I hope between the two of you that you can find a dose that helps your
Oliver.
Jan
First you said that your vet wanted him on 1/2 a Vetmedin TWICE a day
have you talked to the vet about lowering his dose down to 1/4 a pill
ONCE a day? Perhaps your vet would want you to try the 1/4 twice a
day(?) this would be 1/2 pill total for Oliver for the day BUT YOU NEED
TO ASK YOUR VET before changing meds for Oliver to be sure he is
getting enough but not too much in his system and not too little to help
him.( all the medication changes were done with my vet doing this for
Mr. Benson)
Also Oliver weighs 7 pounds and Mr. Benson only weighs 3-1/2 pounds
so there is a LARGE difference in weight from Benson and Oliver, this
is why I say you need to talk with and have your vet make changes in
the dose....1/8 a pill seems very low for a 7 pound dog even twice a day
I also have other Yorkies and they weigh 6 to 7 pounds and compared
along side Mr. Benson his is about 1/4 their over all size so back to your
veterinarian, ASK HIM about a lesser amount divided twice or whatever
he feels would work best for Oliver. It is a trial and keep trying thing with any medication until the right dose and right amount is found to work.
You said you are giving 1/4 a pill ONCE A DAY but your vet wanted him
on 1/2 a pill TWICE A DAY that is a huge difference in amounts...
I hope between the two of you that you can find a dose that helps your
Oliver.
Jan
2 Comments
What is the dosage of the vetmedin you have decrease? My cavalier was on 5mg/day and i decreased to 2.5 but think that is too much also, I guess i will try 1.25 cause she is failing fast and nothing has helped her diarrhea or appetite
What is the dosage of the vetmedin you have decrease? My cavalier was on 5mg/day and i decreased to 2.5 but think that is too much also, I guess i will try 1.25 cause she is failing fast and nothing has helped her diarrhea or appetite
Jan that is such great news!! I started Oliver on a quarter of a pill, once a day to start with but I'm kind of tempted to maybe do an 1/8th twice a day like Mr. Benson.
He's also currently taking forketor and my vet said ti would be fine to pair it with the Vetmedin.
This has been a long road but I feel like we are finally getting somewhere...
He's also currently taking forketor and my vet said ti would be fine to pair it with the Vetmedin.
This has been a long road but I feel like we are finally getting somewhere...
Hi, the stressing out was the worst, since he'd been so sick for that
week I ended up taking him off all medication for his heart for the next
3-1/2 to 4 weeks. On it her refused to eat,drank very little and seemed
to be getting worse,( I did explain this to my vet and he agreed to take
him off all meds) as Mr. Benson got strong again we tried the meds
again and this was when he started to react the exact same way so my
vet started to reduce his meds, getting down to where we are now and
Mr.B has accepted this dose and doing good on it.
Mr.Benson has a very slight murmur almost could not hear but since
the Vetmeds would help his heart and make it easier for blood to flow
through we put him back on them. He is not on any other medications
as he urinates fine ( no more Lasix) nothing except the Vetmed and
he IS DOING SO MUCH BETTER,right now,4 months later after he
first went in,he is 99% back to his normal self. Also since he has no
fluids in his lungs,they're clear he doesn't feel he needs anything to
keep fluids out of his body. ( he's not retaining fluids)
He eats,drinks, run and plays and thinks he is the biggest dog in our
pack chases his 6 pound brother, chases the Boston,he'd chase the
Greyhound and Rott ( because HE KNOWS he's bigger) but that is
NOT allowed,they are kept separate at all times. Jan
week I ended up taking him off all medication for his heart for the next
3-1/2 to 4 weeks. On it her refused to eat,drank very little and seemed
to be getting worse,( I did explain this to my vet and he agreed to take
him off all meds) as Mr. Benson got strong again we tried the meds
again and this was when he started to react the exact same way so my
vet started to reduce his meds, getting down to where we are now and
Mr.B has accepted this dose and doing good on it.
Mr.Benson has a very slight murmur almost could not hear but since
the Vetmeds would help his heart and make it easier for blood to flow
through we put him back on them. He is not on any other medications
as he urinates fine ( no more Lasix) nothing except the Vetmed and
he IS DOING SO MUCH BETTER,right now,4 months later after he
first went in,he is 99% back to his normal self. Also since he has no
fluids in his lungs,they're clear he doesn't feel he needs anything to
keep fluids out of his body. ( he's not retaining fluids)
He eats,drinks, run and plays and thinks he is the biggest dog in our
pack chases his 6 pound brother, chases the Boston,he'd chase the
Greyhound and Rott ( because HE KNOWS he's bigger) but that is
NOT allowed,they are kept separate at all times. Jan
Wow, the beginning sounded so stressful for you! Oliver did have the symptom of zoning out like a zombie.
I took him to the vet yesterday and we decided to take him off the Vetmedin until he starts feeling better and gets his appetite back. However, I am just so scared after seeing what it did to him, but we talked about a much smaller dose so we may venture down that road soon.
It's really interesting you say Mr. Benson was first diagnosed with something to do with his lungs because that's what the cardiologists conclusion was with Oliver initially. Oliver has a grade 3 heart murmur but initially the cardiologist didn't think it warranted any heart medication.
So, we've taken Oliver off the Vetmedin and Lasix and have put him back on Theophylline, an antibiotic, an anti diarrhea med (that cost $44!!!) and anti nausea med. He slept all night very peacefully but really lifeless this morning but the Vetmedin could still be in his system.
Wish we could just figure out the problem :(
I took him to the vet yesterday and we decided to take him off the Vetmedin until he starts feeling better and gets his appetite back. However, I am just so scared after seeing what it did to him, but we talked about a much smaller dose so we may venture down that road soon.
It's really interesting you say Mr. Benson was first diagnosed with something to do with his lungs because that's what the cardiologists conclusion was with Oliver initially. Oliver has a grade 3 heart murmur but initially the cardiologist didn't think it warranted any heart medication.
So, we've taken Oliver off the Vetmedin and Lasix and have put him back on Theophylline, an antibiotic, an anti diarrhea med (that cost $44!!!) and anti nausea med. He slept all night very peacefully but really lifeless this morning but the Vetmedin could still be in his system.
Wish we could just figure out the problem :(
Just saw this....sorry. By now you must have seen your vet? My little
3-1/2 pound Yorkie is also on Vetmedin PLEASE REMEMBER THIS
MY YORKIE.
He was also prescribed 1/2 tablet but ONCE a day, he had similar
reactions but also was shaking, seemed to have loss of his balance
stumbled and fell over several times, his breathing was VERY RAPID
and fast, restless about 2 hours after medication was given then very
lethargic BUT still rapid breathing as he slept.
He didn't want to go outside to potty, I took him out to go,he didn't want
water,when I took him over to the water bowl he just stood there like he
was not registering,took a step back and stood staring at the wall,it was
horrible to watch him...nothing registered,he was a zombie.
He had been taken in because he was having problems breathing,first
diagnosed with infection/bacteria in his lungs, on oxygen, and antibiotics
2 X-rays were done and sent off to be read. At this same time he was
checked, no heart murmurs but reading came back from X-ray his heart
was slightly enlarged AFTER THIS the vet found a murmur.
My vet changed his Vetmedin ( although the prescribed amount was for
1/2 tablet) down to 1/4 twice a day...no change in his actions,still a lost
little soul. Next my vet dropped him down to 1/8 tablet 2 times a day so
a total of 1/4 for the full amount given in a day...THIS WORKED!
Mr. Benson is back to "his normal self" eating again,chasing and barking
at his brother and the other dogs,( he things he is a Great Dane) he no
long has drunken steps,is steady on his legs,no falling over,goes outside
on his own again to potty.
Medications are not a "one prescription fits all dogs" it did take some
playing to get him on the Vetmedin so he could take it,perhaps your little guy is also unable to take as much as the company dictates they need
to have? ( just a question and a thought) Our vet did have to play around
with the dose for him to get it just right...maybe this is the case for your
little guy,maybe it is too stong an amount at one time?
Mr. Benson is 10 years old, also a Yorkie.
Jan
3-1/2 pound Yorkie is also on Vetmedin PLEASE REMEMBER THIS
MY YORKIE.
He was also prescribed 1/2 tablet but ONCE a day, he had similar
reactions but also was shaking, seemed to have loss of his balance
stumbled and fell over several times, his breathing was VERY RAPID
and fast, restless about 2 hours after medication was given then very
lethargic BUT still rapid breathing as he slept.
He didn't want to go outside to potty, I took him out to go,he didn't want
water,when I took him over to the water bowl he just stood there like he
was not registering,took a step back and stood staring at the wall,it was
horrible to watch him...nothing registered,he was a zombie.
He had been taken in because he was having problems breathing,first
diagnosed with infection/bacteria in his lungs, on oxygen, and antibiotics
2 X-rays were done and sent off to be read. At this same time he was
checked, no heart murmurs but reading came back from X-ray his heart
was slightly enlarged AFTER THIS the vet found a murmur.
My vet changed his Vetmedin ( although the prescribed amount was for
1/2 tablet) down to 1/4 twice a day...no change in his actions,still a lost
little soul. Next my vet dropped him down to 1/8 tablet 2 times a day so
a total of 1/4 for the full amount given in a day...THIS WORKED!
Mr. Benson is back to "his normal self" eating again,chasing and barking
at his brother and the other dogs,( he things he is a Great Dane) he no
long has drunken steps,is steady on his legs,no falling over,goes outside
on his own again to potty.
Medications are not a "one prescription fits all dogs" it did take some
playing to get him on the Vetmedin so he could take it,perhaps your little guy is also unable to take as much as the company dictates they need
to have? ( just a question and a thought) Our vet did have to play around
with the dose for him to get it just right...maybe this is the case for your
little guy,maybe it is too stong an amount at one time?
Mr. Benson is 10 years old, also a Yorkie.
Jan
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