Dog coughing again on enalapril. Should I give more furosemide?

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!

It sounds as though Dixie is going through a lot at the moment! Yes, Dixie should absolutely continue taking the enalapril and furosemide, unless otherwise directed by the prescribing vet. The hydrocodone/homatropine medication is a cough suppressant, but may make her a bit groggy. The heart valvular insufficiency can progress to congestive heart failure, which can cause a cough to develop as a result of the fluid accumulation in and around the lungs. If her cough continues or worsens, Dixie may need to go back to her vet for another exam and chest x-rays, and may need additional medications to manage her heart disease. I hope that all goes well for her!

Hi there, you could try increasing it to 30 mg twice a day. In general a standard dose is 2mg/kg twice a day. If frusemide should not work , a new diuretic could be added such as spironolactone. I would recommend to discuss this with your vet. Hope this helps !

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.

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

I am sorry to hear about Abbey's problems! Enalapril is used for heart disease as well as other problems such as kidney protein-loss and high blood pressure. We do, however, like to monitor kidney values via bloodwork when giving enalapril along with lasix. Side effects of enalapril can include nausea, diarrhea, or inappetance. In some dogs we can see listlessness or lethargy as a result of drop in blood pressure. Some dogs can also get elevations in potassium levels. It would be best to have a more thorough workup if your vet suspects fluid in the lungs. A cough can be the result of numerous causes in older dogs and the only way to truly tell if there is fluid buildup in the lungs would be an x-ray. The x-ray would also let us evaluate heart size and check for other causes of coughing (infection, tracheal disorders, chronic bronchitis, masses). Depending on what is seen on the x-ray, an ultrasound of the heart may also be recommended (if we do see enlargement of the heart and fluid build up in the lungs this would be the next diagnostic step). Bloodwork would also be recommended to check the kidney values and the potassium levels when on this medication.

I'm sorry to hear that Eight is having this issue. You are correct, her medications will either need to be adjusted or a new one started. She should see the vet as soon as possible. Sounds like she had a fainting type/dizziness episode that is likely related to unregulated heart condition. No, enalapril to the best of my knowledge does not cause a dry cough in dogs but it can have effects on the kidneys. That being said, a high BUN doesn't indicate kidney disease. Elevations of the BUN and CREA together would indicate kidney disease. BUN is not a specific marker for the kidneys, CREA is.