My dog's DCM isn't responding to furosemide. What else can I give her?

Poor guy. The coughing is mainly due to fluid bulid up in the lungs. If the coughing has not improved then ask you vet if adjustments can be made to his current medications, in particulra the Libeo (Furosemide), which is designed to pull fluid off the lungs, reducing the cough. He is on all the medications currently recommended for heart failure dogs, so the best thing to do is increase his medications and perhaps get him on a cardiac prescription diet (i.e. Hill's Science Diet H/D). Also understand that heart medication is not curing the disease, it is merely managing it to buy your pet more time. Unfortuantely the medication may reach a point where it is no longer effective when the disease has progressed too far. I do hope that we have not reached that point yet, and perhaps can still make adjustments in Kenzo's medications to help manage his heart disease for a while longer. Here is more information on heart disease --> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8501760 Best of luck moving forward with Kenzo and managing his heart disease. Take care.

For now there is very little you can do except start the medication prescribed and wait for them to work. Your dog should start feeling a lot better within the next few days with less fluid in his lungs and better cardiac function. You can start feeding a special diet for dogs with congestive heart failure, such as Hills Prescription h/d. Such diets typically have restricted sodium levels to limit fluid retention, added taurine and L-carnitine, and amino acids that may help support heart function, added B-vitamins and magnesium. Here is some good information: http://www.vermontveterinarycardiology.com/index.php/for-clients/feeding-the-cardiac-patient

Unfortunately the dilation of the heart cannot be reversed, but the medications will help to slow its progression and improve the other side effects of enlarged heart. The vetmedin helps the heart pump faster and harder, the furosemide reduces fluid build up in the lungs and the benazepril stops maladaptive pathways being activated. You should see a difference in him within a week or two, the medication can help to improve quality of life greatly.

Unfortunately, there are no OTC medications you can give your dog for her cough. The cough will be related to her heart disease, and is likely caused by a build up of fluid in her lungs. There are medications you can get from your vet that can help with that help with called diuretics. An example of a diuretic would be furosimide. I would speak to your vet today about possibly putting her on a diuretic to help with her cough.

There are many medications which can be used to support a failing heart and should be used alongside diuretics in order to help support the function of the heart, reduce fluid build up in the lungs and abdomen and control blood pressure if required. Unfortunately, no cure is available and medications should be adjusted as Zoe's condition changes; many dogs can live for months-years with a heart condition depending on the severity of other health complications which can also occur as they age. Without a full history of all her complaints and recent tests it is impossible to assess her medium-long term prognosis

Yes, you can use supplements on a dog with DCM. However, most of the supplements have similar actions to the drugs that we use for heart disease, so you need to be sure that you are working with your vet or a vet trained in herbal medicine to make sure the dosage and effects are safe for Chico. I use Hawthorne berry to increase cardiac contraction, and I don't see that Chico is on a medication for that, so that might be a good addition. And I don't think there are any contraindications for Omega 3 fish oil which can improve blood supply to the heart muscle itself. Again, I would recommend speaking to your vet about those supplements and see if they have any other suggestions. I will often use Coenzyme Q10 in my heart patients as well. If you need to find a vet comfortable with herbal therapies, you might be able to find one here under the find a vet section. https://www.ahvma.org I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using PetCoach.

Oh no! This sounds very serious and the Lasix alone probably isn't enough to control her symptoms. If she is this sick you should definitely take Roxy back in to the vet to perhaps up her dose of Lasix (there is often a wide range that you can give pets until symptoms resolve) or give her actual heart medication. If the heart is not addressed directly (with medications), then no matter how much Lasix you give, the lungs will continue to fill with fluid due to the direct relationship that is shared between the heart and lungs. This website link discusses the use of both Lasix and heart medications (Enalapril) together in pets with signs of congestive heart failure, which is likely Roxy's condition. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=537