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Why do vets prescribe useless drugs to MVD-affected cavaliers before heart failure?

Some of these meds increase heart contractions - this will delay onset of heart failure and symptoms
 
Used too early, some of these meds encourage the heart to work too hard, before such support is needed. By the time heart failure occurs, when one or both valves become useless, the heart muscles are already exhausted by over-stimulation and can't then give the support that is needed. (Hope I've got that right, Rod!) That's why it can be really dangerous if inexperienced vets put dogs onto these meds as soon as a murmur is detected - you'd think after all these years of MVD in Cavaliers they would know better!

Kate and Ruby
 
Sorry for the late reply. I saw our Cardiologist last week, he was involved with the epic trial. He said, if a Cavalier has been diagnosed with a heart murmur say grade 2/3, the dog should have a heart scan/X-ray. If the heart has enlarged, he actually called it re-modelling then there is a case to prescribe Vetmedin! The trial showed that dogs did better for longer if this protocol was followed. It is very confusing when there are two different definate views!
 
Tania, this was the case for Pippin, who has been on Vetmedin/ Cardisure for 7 years now.
 
I think the vital words in the Epic trial are 'enlarged heart'. That was when going on to Vetmedin before heart failure proved valuable. But not all dogs have enlarged heart as a pre-CHF symptom of MVD (my Aled didn't - he just jumped straight from an unmedicated 4-5 murmur into both valves failing), and it's important to know the difference.

Kate and Ruby
 
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