pimobendan for cat with DCM ??

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sld06h@fsu.edu - 04 Feb 2007 16:35 GMT

Hi --- I have a 3-year-old Maine Coon mix, Omar, who has recently been
diagnosed with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. His diet has never
been deficient in taurine fortified food, so the vets are baffled. I'm
still giving him 500mg tauring daily just as a precaution (as well as
injectible Salix to control fluid build-up in the lungs).

I recently ordered some Vetmedin (pimobendan) from an overseas
pharmacy. It is not yet approved in the US, but It arrived without
being seized by US Customs. But now I'm afraid to give it to him. It
is dangerous to humans with heart disease and to cats with HCM. It has
been great for dogs with DCM, however. Still it hasn't been tested on
cats.

Does anyone know of someone who has had good results with this drug on
a DCM cat? My vet says he's had good results with one cat. Maybe Omar
has nothing to lose since his prognosis is poor, and he's already
lived 2 months since his diagnosis at the emergency clinic when he
nearly died of pulmonary edema.

Thanks,

Sheri

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Phil P. - 05 Feb 2007 08:50 GMT

> Hi --- I have a 3-year-old Maine Coon mix, Omar, who has recently been
> diagnosed with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. His diet has never
> been deficient in taurine fortified food, so the vets are baffled.

If the DCM diagnosis was reached by a general practioner, I think you should
seek a second opinion from a veterinary cardiologist to confirm the
diagnosis with an echocardiogram. Maine Coon/Maine Coon-mixes are
susceptible to an inherited form of _hypertrophic_ not dilated
cardiomyopathy. MCs with CM at such a young age are usually the offspring of
cats with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

If you haven't confirmed the diagnosis, I recommend you do so before you
form a treatment plan.

Best of luck,

Phil

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sld06h@fsu.edu - 05 Feb 2007 18:33 GMT

Hi Phil,

THis vet is at my local referral clinic. He runs/interprets the
echocardiograms, so I assume he's a cardiologist. He said he was very
surprised that it was DCM, not HCM. As for Omar --- he was stray ----
but looks like he has Maine Coon in him.

I do have confidence in this vet. He does talk in terms that are a
little over the lay person's head by constantly citing scientific
journals. I literally take notes when I talk to him.

He's given Omar a poor prognosis, but mentioned a number of other more
experiment drugs (Plavix, etc.) for cats. He said pimobendan is
promising, but still a risk due to lack of studies in cats. I just
wish I could talk to someone who had their cat on it, but I've had no
luck in the Yahoo Feline Heart group ... those cats mostly have HCM,
something Pimobendan is not used for. I have a big decision to make...

Thanks for your reply,

Sheri

> --

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