Is it safe to alter my cat's heart failure medication for travel?

If Shakira stresses very easily, I think the best thing to do is have her seen by her vet before she goes on this trip, and discuss using medication to help ease her stress during it. The medication would be safest to use on a long car ride, not a flight. Make an appointment with her vet to discuss options. I hope this helps!

Hello, sorry to hear about Meef. It sounds like she may be in congestive heart failure and thats why your veterinarian gave you those medications. The aspirin and furosemide may interact with one delay the excretion of these medications from the body. This can make the side effects of the medications most likely to occur. The biggest one we worry about is damage to her kidneys. If I were to pick one medication over another, I would give the furosemide as that will get her out of congestive heart failure, however the aspirin is also necessary. There are other medications that your can talk to your veterinarian about such as clopidogrel which will have the same effect as aspirin on the platelets and will not interact with furosemide. Ideally, depending on how severe her signs may be, Meef should be hospitalize to monitor her heart condition and fluids in her lungs. Monitor her respiratory rate. If you notice her breathing to be fast or labored, or if she has open mouthed breathing, you should bring Meef to the emergency clinic immediately. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Louie and Ozzy! I don't think vaccines will hurt their heart disease. But I would go over the pros and cons of vaccinating vs not vaccinating. For example if both are indoor cats and you aren't planning on getting any new cats then their risk is small. Rabies is required by law. I would recommend cardiology consults and echocardiograms so you have a diagnosis and medications can be started if needed. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While it is not ideal to do that, if she has been getting that medication for a good bit now, doing it once daily instead of twice daily for 1 day should not affect things much. Have a good night!

Ginger should be examined by the veterinarian prior to the flight to check her heart and blood pressure. She will likely need a health certificate and vaccine update (if due). If she is prone to stress, sedatives/anti-anxiety medications may help. In general, the over the counter options don't tend to be effective (though you can try them). Your veterinarian will have proven medications that work. It is also recommend to have a trial run at home a few days before your flight so you know how Ginger responds to them. Here is also a helpful article: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-travel-with-a-cat/ I hope this helps.

I recommend you speak to your vet, as Benadryl will not be very effective in this situation, but there are other medications your vet may recommend that may be. You will likely need a health certificate for Ollie to travel on the plane anyway, so you can discuss it when you take Ollie to your vet to get one. Make sure you follow the airline's regulations about travelling with a pet, including carrier size, timing of obtaining the health certificate with regards to your flight, food and water bowls, etc. If you are travelling internationally, make sure you are following all regulations for export of pets from the area you are departing from, and import requirements for wherever you are going/ anywhere you may have a stopover with Ollie. Feliway pheromone spray may help as well: https://www.feliway.com Also see the link below for more information on travelling with Ollie: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/felinelifestressors/traveling-your-cat Good luck, and have a safe trip!

Most cats do best in familiar environments, and since you will be gone short term, it is probably better for Olivia to stay at home and have a sitter or neighbor come in when your husband can't be there. That way she isn't dealing with the stress of a new place in addition to being away from you. I highly recommend adding in some calming devices such as pheromone diffusers that can help her relax some while you are away. Leaving behind a shirt or blanket that smells like you that she can also snuggle may help as well. Some cats may also respond to voices via phone or voice chat, but it depends on the individual cat.