A human accidentally swallowed dog's 5mg Vetmedin. What now?

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

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Harper. The dose she ate is actually below what the recommended dose would be for a dog her weight, so there is no risk of overdose. This single, low dose should not be a problem. Just don't let her get any more. 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!

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!

Vetmedin does not increase the heart size. Since I don't know how much your dog weighs I cannot comment on the dose. If you would like to post again with her weight then we can maybe help you determine if that is an overdose. You can always talk to your vet about changing the medication - I would not change anything without speaking to them first. Is she taking any other medications for CHF like furosemide or enalapril? If so, the enalapril is most likely causing the increase in heart rate after administration. None of the medications however, will cause the hear to enlarge. The heart is enlarging due to the normal course of the disease. The medications only help to support the heart - they will not stop the progression of the disease. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Vetmedin (Pimobendan) is an inotrope, which means that its job is to make the heart pump more forcibly, so I would say that what you are seeing clinically is the medication doing its job. I would not recommend discontinuing this medication. But also, if you feel that your pet Ruby has any other adverse effects to this medication, then it will be necessary to have her seen and examined by a vet in person in order to get any recommendations as to what, if any, changes in her medication are needed in the future. Best of luck with Ruby and I hope that her condition can be stabilized well with her medication. Best wishes and take care.

Viagra (sildenafil) is sometimes used ["off-label"](https://www.petcoach.co/article/veterinarians-allowed-to-prescribe-extra-label-drugs/) in veterinary medicine to treat pulmonary [hypertension](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/hypertension-in-cats-and/). Dogs were used in the original safety studies for Viagra, so it's considered pretty safe for them. The upper limit of the published dose for an 11lb dog would be about 15mg given orally 2 to 3 times daily. The dose ingested would be considered an overdose. You may see a rapid heart rate, and possibly weakness from a drop in blood pressure. If you see any abnormal activity such as weakness, collapse, etc. please seek veterinary attention right away.