Cardiology Heart Study

[RodRussell]

....It seems to say the way to go once CHF is then to start with pimobenden which could give an extension of maybe two more years .

According to cardiologist Mark Oyama in a recent talk to a group of GP vets, pimo and an ACE-inhibitor and a diruetic are being combined as soon as the MVD dog enters congestive heart failure.

Using pimo at the start of CHF is relatively new, I think (at least, that is what Dr. Oyama said in his talk). In the past, the pimo was reserved for the last resort, to boost the heart when the ACE-inhibitor, diruetic, and whatever else lost their effectiveness.

[anniemac]

I didn't think the argument on pimobendan and CHF was new though? Weren't those studies on waiting til onset of CHF done some time ago?

I was interested in that part for personal reasons. Having read posts in the past and reading the caution on Rods website, I was concerned when a vet prescribed this drug to a friends cavalier. I was with her at the vet and specifically asked that question (since he said kennedy was on the verge of CHF) along with since he is at this stage shouldn't he see a cardiologist. I will not even get into his response but the vet made her feel so bad about getting a referral to cardiologist, that she made me call. I left a message for another vet, but even though he was fine with referral he had never heard of problems with this drug treating prior to CHF.

It may not be new but there still are vets prescribing it before the dog is in CHF.

Brian,

You are lucky that Daisy is seeing Simon Swift (I believe), because you know she is in good hands.

[RodRussell]

... It may not be new but there still are vets prescribing it before the dog is in CHF. ...

Unfortunately, I heard of a US cardiologist who very recently prescribed pimo for a cavalier before CHF, and the dog promptly died. Since then, the name of that cardiologist has been removed from the list of board certified veterinary cardiologists on http://www.cavalierhealth.org/Cardiologists.htm