From:
Pam Sessoms
Date: 2002-01-10 21:00:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Medication suggestions for
cardiomyopathy?
On Fri, 11 Jan 2002, ldarkes2000 wrote:
Lucie, sounds like you and your vet are very on top of the diagnosis, with
the ultrasound and all the diagnostics done so far.
> My vet and I are trying to find medications that may help slow the
> progression of her cardiomypathy, without creating additional kidney
> problems. Do any of the vets or folks who have been through this have
> any suggestions?
One of mine, Sunny, was on an ACE Inhibitor called Lotensin (benazepril)
for a long time with her cardiomyopathy. We tried her on Enacard but she
didn't really improve on it, and a cardiologist suggested we try the
Lotensin. She didn't have kidney trouble, but an interesting side note
about it is that it is metabolized at least partly through the liver
rather than totally through the kidney (Enacard goes through the kidney).
Thus, it is thought to be a safer choice when there is aleady renal
disease present. In Europe, I believe, benazepril is even approved for
use in cats with chronic renal failure and hypertension - over there the
brand name is Fortekor.
I'm not a vet, so forgive any technical mistakes! :) Sunny did
fabulously for quite a long time, even with advanced disease at the time
of diagnosis. She was eventually on all kinds of things, added as her
signs and the diganostics indicated need for them, including benazepril,
digoxin, lasix, spironolactone, and a few supplements like CoQ10...
Check out the spironolactone if she progresses, it really seemed to help
Sunny feel better when we added it; in human studies, it decreases
mortality significantly.
Good luck!
-Pam S.