Cat with heart disease breathing hard. Should I give more furosemide?

Yes, you can give another dose of the salix to try to help. If this does not show any improvement I would encourage you to find any vet that can you in as you may need injectable medication and oxygen therapy to help

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Roxy! If Roxy is having trouble breathing she needs to see a veterinarian right away. We have to assume she is in congestive heart failure. Just increasing the medication likely will not be enough. You can give her another 1/2 of furosemide while you find an open emergency room. Oral medications are not quick enough in situations like this. She likely needs oxygen and injectable medications. I wish Roxy the best!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Gelly is breathing heavier today - it is possible she is currently in congestive heart failure, meaning she has fluid building up in her lungs. If she is currently receiving Lasix (Furosemide), you can probably give her another dose of that and see if this helps. If she is still breathing rapidly and with abdominal effort, I recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian right away. If she is unable to get the fluid off of her lungs, she will be unable to oxygenate her blood and can go into respiratory arrest and die. I hope this is helpful!

Hello, and thanks for your question. Harry may need an increase in his furosemide dose, or sometimes I will tell owners to give an extra dose occasionally as needed - but it depends on the dog's symptoms, kidney function, and current dose of medication (whether the furosemide can be safely increased from the current dose). Furosemide cannot simply be increased indefinitely, or it can cause kidney problems or overly dehydrate the animal. Harry's normal vet will be the only one able to answer this question, since they know his current dose, weight, and medical history. Hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Troy. Poor boy! Do not give him extra enalapril. It sounds like he may need more furosemide. Dogs with heart disease have fluid build up in their lungs because the heart doesn't pump correctly causing the coughing. Furosemide is a diuretic, which means it gets rid of excess fluid helping stop the cough. Take him back into the vet to get more furosemide. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am so sorry to hear about Bizou! Unfortunately, if he is in congestive heart failure, the only treatment is the lasix pill (furosemide). Depending on how severe his condition is, he may not survive without hospitalization with oxygen and injectible lasix. Your vet may have a strong suspicion of this if Bizou has a heart murmur and many crackles in the lungs (we can hear with the stethoscope). However, even that is not enough to definitively diagnose it. I have seen a couple dogs I was sure were in heart failure and when I took the x-rays, it turned out to be pneumonia or cancer. If you can at all afford it, go for the xrays so you at least know what you are dealing with - if it's cancer instead of heart failure, that may change your approach. If it is heart failure, it will give a clue as to how serious. If you can't afford the x-rays, treat for whatever the vet thinks is most likely. If heart failure is it, the most commonly prescribed medications are furosemide, enalapril, and pimobendan (though there are others). Finally, if he is still struggling for air, his tongue/gums are any color other than bright pink, or the vet thinks it is serious enough to require oxygen, and you cannot pay for treatment, I would strongly consider euthanasia. Dying by gasping and struggling for air while drowning in your own fluids is a horrible way to go - I've seen it several times. Please feel free to reach out to me via consultation if you'd like to to have a more detailed conversation with you. Best wishes to you and Bizou.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry! Poor Munchie! Flusapex is lasix, which is a diuretic used for heart failure. If she was given 0.30 mls that is an appropriate dose. My assumption is that the Vet though Munchie was in heart failure. Trouble breathing is serious and the only thing I could think of that could have been done differently is that Munchie should have been admitted and hospitalized for oxygen therapy and monitoring. But if her heart failure was severe the outcome may still have been the same. Again I am very sorry for your loss, Munchie sounded like she was very sick! I hope this helps in some way.