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<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'>My Sammi is a beagle mix and has had a heart murmer since she was 5
years old. She is 12 years old now and in congestive heart failure.
The vet said that drugs are not usually given until the dog shows symptoms
because most of the drugs will not help the dog until that time. The exception
may be any diuretic such as lasix to help with fluid around the heart. Some
times heart murmers don’t progress and stay at a certain level and that
is the best you can hope for. They usually do progress as the dog gets
older and that is exactly what has happened with Sammi. <o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'>There is a new wonder drug for dogs in heart failure called
Pimobendan. It is only indicated when a dog gets to the heart failure
stage but it definitely prolongs the dogs life and also greatly improves the
quality of life. Sammi has been on this wonder drug for a year and has
already lived much longer than the vet expected. She is also on a lot of
other drugs too, an ace inhibitor, two different kinds of diuretics, tramadol
for pain, and hycodan for coughing. Unfortunately for me and Sammi,
hycodan is being pulled off the market by the FDA because they say it is
ineffective for people. It is not a canine drug so I am scrambling to try
and find any pharmacy who has some before it is all gone. Unfortunately
when I do find a drugstore with some, I can only get one prescription at a time
because this is a controlled drug. There is not another good alternative drug for
Sammi’s coughing out there. The Vet said that there are other drugs
to try but none work as good as the hycodan. I am so worried that when my
supply of this drug is gone, Sammi will get much worse. Sammi also has
seizures which is common in beagles. Seizures are not good mix in heart
failure patients because it takes the heart so much longer to recover from them.
I thought I was losing Sammi last September when she had a bad seizure. I
emailed on the drool and everyone rallied with prayers and drool. Sammi got
better and survived that one. She is slowly getting worse, but like all
of you, I pray all the time that my dog will last just a little while
longer. She feels good most of the time and runs around sometimes like
she does not have anything wrong with her.<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'>If your dog has a heart murmer, find a vet who is up to date on all the
heart meds out there. They can make a huge difference in the quality of
life for your dog.<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'>Drool and prayers to all.<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'>Kim<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:blue;font-style:
italic'>Mama to Daisy, <st1:place w:st="on">Dixie</st1:place>, Sammi and Gracie<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
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