ABSTRACT
Pimobendan (Vetmedin) is an effective treatment for canine chronic degenerative mitral valve disease and dilated cardiomyopathy. In an off-label use, it may also be of benefit for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in dogs. In this report, we describe the effects of a palatable customized oral form of pimobendan used with both compounded and commercially manufactured conventional drug therapy to treat degenerative mitral valve disease and pulmonary hypertension in two small dogs. For those patients, who resisted many types of oral medication, the standard manufactured dose of pimobendan was inappropriate. Formulations of the preparations used to treat the patients described in this report are provided for easy reference. It should be noted that at the time of this writing, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany), the manufacturer of pimobendan, has expressed concern about the stability of that agent in aqueous compounded form. To our knowledge, no current data confirming the stability or bioequivalence of compounded pimobendan exist.
Subject(s)
Dog Diseases/drug therapy , Heart Valve Diseases/veterinary , Hypertension, Pulmonary/veterinary , Mitral Valve , Pyridazines/therapeutic use , Animals , Chronic Disease , Dogs , Female , Heart Valve Diseases/drug therapy , Hypertension, Pulmonary/drug therapy , Pyridazines/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Primary hypertension may be more common in cats than prior research has indicated. Untreated feline hypertension damages organs nourished by a rich vascular supply, and kidney disease, ocular impairment and cardiac irregularites can be caused by this silent and progressive disorder. The effects of hypertension can be minimized with treatment, however, and the long-acting dihydropyridine calcium anatgonist amlodipine has been proven safe and effective in the management of high blood pressure in cats. Because anxiety can increase blood pressure even in normotensive cats, hypertensive feline patients must be protected as much as possible from the stress caused by forced medication. A compounded preparation of amlodipine in a transdermal gel can be easily applied to the feline pinna without subjecting the patient to the trauma of oral treatment. In this report, the potency and effectiveness of amlodipine besylate in Lipoderm transdermal gel for the treatment of feline hypertension are examined, and two case reports describing the outcome of treatment with that preparation in hypertensive cats are presented.
