My dog has Heart Failure- Caring for your dog with Heart Disease

It is very scary to be told that your beloved pet has heart disease or heart failure. At least 10% of dogs have heart disease, and whilst it cannot be cured, you can manage the disease and give your dog a full and long life with proper care and treatment.

What is canine heart failure?

Canine Heart failure isn’t the same as a heart attack in humans!  Heart disease in dogs or heart failure means that the dog’s heart isn’t able to pump sufficient blood to meet the body’s needs.  As the dog’s heart performance declines, the symptoms increase. Importantly, heart failure in a dog doesn’t in itself cause pain for the dog.

 

Heart diseases in dogs can be caused by:

• A valve defect (such as mitral valve disease)
• A cardiac muscle disease (such as dilated cardiomyopathy)
• Congestive heart failure (caused by things like mitral regurgitation/endocardiosis or dilated cardiomyopathy)
• An infection (often originating in the blood or peridontal

My vet prescribed Redipred for my dog.  What does that mean?

Prednisone and Prednisolone are corticosteroid drugs, used to treat a variety of illnesses in animals (as well as humans).  It is sold in Australia for animal use under brand names including Redipred, Pred-X, Macrolone and Microlone.  The different brands offer the same active ingredient in different strengths and different delivery methods (tablet, liquid etc) and you should check with your vet if you intend to change between the brands.

Prednisone and Prednisolone are commonly prescribed to treat allergies (skin allergies and asthmatic reactions are common), inflammations, and sometimes autoimmune diseases and cancers.

This article answers some of your common questions, such as how Redipred helps your dog, the dosage for Redipred, and the side-effects of Redipred for dogs.

 

How does Redipred help my dog or cat?

Prednisone and prednisolone both mimic cortisol (a hormone that occurs naturally in the body).  Cortisol

My vet prescribed Neocort for my dog.  What does that mean?

Neocort for dogs is a cream that combines antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and anaesthetic effect to help remove the pain and irritation of the skin lesion so that it can heal

Neocort is a topical cream that is often prescribed for dogs with skin irritation or skin conditions caused by neomycin-sensitive bacterial organisms.  Neocort has three active ingredients and these work to make your dog more comfortable and heal in three different ways.

This article answers some of your common questions, such as how Neocort helps your dog, the dosage for Neocort, and the side-effects of Neocort for dogs.

How does Neocort help my dog?

Neocort has three active ingredients that each help make your dog more comfortable and heal faster:

• Neomycin (as sulfate),
• Hydrocortisone (as acetate)
• Lignocaine (as hydrochloride) 

 

Neomycin is an antibiotic that fights bacteria in the body. It is one of the classification of antibiotics known as aminoglycosides,

Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (also known as amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium) is an antibiotic drug, used to treat a variety of illnesses in cats. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid is sold in Australia most commonly under the brand name Amoyxclav, but is also sold as Noroclav, Clavulox and Juroclav - these drugs have the same active ingredients, in different strengths and different delivery methods.