My dog takes Vetmedin. Why is it given every 12 hours if half-life is short?

Yes, this shouldn't cause any problems at all. Ideally, we want to space the dosing out to get as close to every 12 hours as possible, but being an hour or so off from time to time should be just fine :)

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Your dog is so very lucky to have such concerned and caring parents. Vetmedin is administered at a dosage of 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight. A kilogram is equal to 2.2 pounds. If I am reading your question correctly, you both gave 1.25 mg to your dog this morning. That is the total daily dose recommended for a dog your size. Even though the dosage should be divided into two doses given approximately 12 hours apart, it is absolutely fine in this situation that the entire daily dosage was given once. So, no, you have no reason to be concerned with what happened this morning. Your dog should be absolutely fine. Please do not give any doses for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning, go back to your regular 1/2 tablet every 12 hours dosing schedule. I hope I have given you the information you needed. Have a great day

Hello. The reason for not always using an extended release product really falls to the type of heart failure is being treated. Most cardiologists do prefer the prompt release product given every 8 hours. But in cases of ventricular rate control in atrial fibrillation, the extended-release diltiazem administered every 12 hours is very effective, especially when combined with digoxin. If it is difficult to reliably administer Dakota's medication every 8 hours, please discuss this with your veterinary cardiologist to see what will work out for you & your pet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The dose of Vetmedin is 0.25mg/kg twice daily. So for a 10 lb dog I would prescribe the 1.25mg tablet to give every 12 hours. I would go to 1/2 of a 1.25 mg twice daily around 6-7 lbs. I hope this helps!

Some dogs do better with more frequent administration of Vetmedin and it can be given three times a day. It’s difficult for me to know if I personally would recommend this since I don’t know all of the particulars of Max’s case. If he’s had fainting episodes an arrhythmia might be something else to look for. You might also want to look into a referral to a cardiologist for an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound).

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Vetmedin, most of the time, is taken well by most pets. However, if you are finding it difficult to administer in it's tablet form, you can crush the tablet and give with food. The only downside to this method is that your pet may not eat all of the food and there is no guarantee your pet is getting the full dose. You can try pill pockets, peanut butter or liver wurst to see if you can get your pet to take the Vetmedin in it's tablet form as well. I hope this helps!

That is a proper dose of Vetmedin, yes. This drug is used to improve heart function and will not cause fluid in the lungs or abdomen, however, congestive heart failure will cause fluid in the lungs or abdomen. If there is concern that he is in congestive heart failure, additional medication-- Lasix (also called furosemide) would be needed, which is a diuretic medication. Vetmedin is safe to give with gabapentin and Rimadyl. It will not cause pancreatitis. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!