My cat has CHF. Are many medications toxic or are there alternatives?

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.

I am sorry you didn't have much useful explanation of your pets condition. These results are indeed unfavorable. So your pet Amelle has congestive heart failure, kidney insufficiency (the kidney isn't functioning properly) and liver enlargement (a sequela of the heart failure). So when a pet goes into heart failure that means that there is a defect in the heart that has overcome what the heart can correct for. The heart is unable to pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body, leaving fluid to build up in the lungs and also to lead to congestion in the liver. The pet will also have a low blood pressure, because again the heart can't pump effectively, leading to poor perfusion through the kidneys and subsequent kidney dysfunction as well. SO basically your pet Amelle has heart failure and multi-organ failures occurring as a result of the heart. You can try heart medication and diuretics, along with fluid therapy for few days to help the kidneys hopefully return to normal function. The fact that the CREA and PHOS levels are normal means the kidneys have a chance to correct themselves if they get proper perfusion. The liver congestion should improve if the heart improves, however the medications can only do so much to help manage heart failure. We will essentially be buying Amelle more time with an incurable disease process. That is why we call this type of treatment, heart failure management and not cure. It is worth a shot, especially if she is eating well and still has a will to survive. I wish you all the best in getting Amelle to a more stable state. Best wishes moving forward with her care. Take care. Here is a website link on heart failure meds for more information. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

I'm very sorry to hear that Zoe is sick! Congestive heart failure can certainly cause coughing, which generally gets worse over time even with medication, but it would not cause bloody urine, vomiting, or soft stool. Rat poison ingestion could potentially cause these symptoms, but so could many other things. Regardles, since it sounds like something is definitely wrong, I would recommend taking Zoe to an emergency vet today to be seen. He/she can do blood work or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.

The heart condition is likely a sequel to the hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism speeds up the heart rate, and that increases the thickness of the heart muscle which will enlarge the heart. Please do not experiment with herbal medicines. Hyperthyroidism, if not controlled will cause the heart condition to worsen, so it is absolutely necessary to use medications that will work such as thyreostatic medication (the thyroid medications your veterinarian prescribed). The Furosemide will help your cat get rid of the fluid in her lungs. Please listen to your veterinarian. Your kitty can have a good quality of life with the correct medications. This is one case where herbals will not help.

I have attached a link below that provides some general information on HCM. Your cardiologist may have given you much of this and i am sure has ruled out things like high thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and high blood pressure. The most important things are to rule out other diseases that can cause thickening, monitor at home for any changes, and follow up with your cardiologist to see if the disease is progressing. For cats that are diagnosed when asymptomatic (such as evaluation for a heart murmur) the disease may or may not advance. Many cats can live a long life if the disease does not advance. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! www2.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry that Odie isn't feeling well. The heart on the x-rays is very big, so treatment for the heart disease is a good idea. One of the medications given typically with heart disease is a drug called Furosemide, and this usually makes them drink and pee a lot. Other medications for heart disease including Benazepril (Fortekor) and Pimobendan (Vetmedin). Benazepril can be hard on the kidneys so follow up bloodwork is recommended. If Odie is not improving with the medications he might need higher doses. Also, if he isn't eating and drinking, I would be concerned about another disease process going on, and would recommend bloodwork. You can always try a 24 hour emergency center if you can't get into your local vet for a consult. I hope he feels better soon. I wouldn't change any medications you are giving now without talking to a vet first, and it sounds like Odie needs to be seen soon. Best of luck with Odie.

No, it is not recommended to use any other medications or herbal remedies. Often time herbal remedies interfere with the medications - there have not been enough studies done on this so I would not risk it. Just continue to give the medications as prescribed by your vet. Those are the best treatments for his condition.