Request for heart pig stories

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pinta

Post   » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:59 pm


Not familiar with nitroglycerin but your lasix dose seems low. Should be 2-5mg'kg every 12 hours. If your solution is 10mg/ml, than 0.1cc is pretty low. Our basic trial rate is 5mg/kg every 24 hours(or split into two:2.5mg/kg every 12 hours).

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Stacy
Supporter in '11

Post   » Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:04 pm


pinta, she was on .2 cc of Lasix 2x daily. The vet reduced it last week to .1cc twice daily because she was getting very dehydrated. Her current weight is 1 pound, 8 ounces.

pinta

Post   » Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:12 pm


okay - that makes sense. You could also give 0.15 ccs twice a day (or 0.1cc in the morning and 0.2 ccs at night) rather than cutting her dose in half right away.

I have one pig on 0.3 cc's twice a day. 0.5 cc once a day wasn't cutting it. The extra 0.1cc made all the difference. She's also on 0.75 cc's fortekor twice a day(concentration has rubbed off the bottle) The usual dose is 0.5 cc's twice a day. Before she got her meds adjusted she spent all day in one spot resting her chin on the pellet dish. Now she's jumping levels and going down the ramp to free range in the kitchen.

You'll have to learn how to do a subcue.

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tara8301
Supporter in '10

Post   » Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:43 pm


Lily just got her heart diagnosis this morning.

1 - Lily is a Texel about 4.5 yrs (approx. b-date Jan. '05). She had her ovarian pedicles ligated, but reproductive organs are still there.
2 - She wheezed occasionally and has pea eye. Other than that, no real symptoms. Her activity level and her eating patterns did not change. She still runs around and wheeks the loudest for veggies.
3 - X-rays showed enlarged heart and fluid in the lungs. Vet also said left lung had a crackling sound due to the fluid.
4 - Enacard and Furosemide (or enalapril and lasix). 1/4 of a 2.5 mg tab of the enacard every 48 hrs. and 0.3 mL of 12.5 mg/mL furosemide every 12 hrs.
5 - None yet, as we just got the diagnosis today and will start meds in the morning. X-rays will be performed again in 7-10 days to monitor treatment and perhaps get a view of the bladder stone she may have.
6 - Nothing, really. During the same vet visit, the vet checked out a lump near Lily's back left leg but the vet said it was a benign fatty tumor. She might also have a bladder stone, but x-rays weren't conclusive.

Here's Lily's medical thread: https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... 6&start=40

Any advice for a new heart pig mom would be greatly appreciated!

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mkkayla
Supporter in '14

Post   » Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:12 am


Tropica, 7-8 years old (I've had her over 5 years-she was a rescue and was at least 2, possibly 3 when I adopted her).

Just 'not right', sluggish almost. Not excited about veggie time and would not voluntarily go to them. Once in front of them though, she would eat, but had early sateity. Small amount of weight loss but so slow it in itself did not concern me with her age and all.

Took her to the vet with another guinea pig just to get checked out. Ultrasound revealed large abdominal vessels. Heart enlarged, EKG/echo showed a heart rate of 328 and cardiac function of 20%. No fluid in lungs or abdomen. She also had thickened bladder walls so we started Septra.

On Enalapril (1/4 of a 2.5 mg tab daily) since Saturday. No change in behavior yet (3 doses so far). We go back on Friday for a recheck.

pinta

Post   » Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:54 pm


Get Vetmedin added in and switch to Fortekor if possible.

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mkkayla
Supporter in '14

Post   » Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:28 pm


Still no change in behavior, I thought I'd see something by now. What are the generic names for Vetmedin and Fortekor? He did talk about switching her to digoxin if the enalapril didn't work.

pinta

Post   » Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:52 am


https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... t=vetmedin

Pimobendan for vetmedin

benazepril is the name for fortekor or Lotensin[/list]

slavetofuzzy
4 the Good of all Pigs

Post   » Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:13 pm


What is the difference between the two, pinta? The Enalipril and Fortekor.

pinta

Post   » Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:28 pm


Fortekor is a newer version of the Enalipril and is more benign. For instance: no evidence of kidney issues with Fortekor while there has been some concern with the Enalipril.

Canada started using Fortekor before the U.S so my experience has been pretty much exclusively with Fortekor. I know my vet was happy when it became available.

slavetofuzzy
4 the Good of all Pigs

Post   » Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:29 pm


Thank you. Mr. Piggy is going to be starting a course of heart meds and I wanted to be more informed so I can push for the best drug for him.

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mkkayla
Supporter in '14

Post   » Sun Aug 16, 2009 1:09 pm


According to Tropica's cardiac ultrasound her heart function is almost normal after 1 week on enalapril, couldn't much argue for a change in meds with those results. Unfortunately, I still see no change in behavior. Wonder what is up with that?

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