# Help with vetmedin



## rose (Apr 29, 2009)

Hi. My almost 13 year old cav has been on fortekor for 5 years. She has just started coughing slightly  The vet has given her vetmedin and frusemide. I lost her mum and sister with the same condition MVD so have been down this road before. The vetmedin has to be given 12 hours apart and 1 hour before food. My dogs are fed at about 6pm. So I should give the tablets at 5am and 5pm!! If I give the am tablet later their dinner will be about 8pm which is too late. Also as they dont have a meal in the morning, do I have to give her food an hour after her morning tablet? Or is that only if they usually have a meal? I will ring the vet tomorrow, just thought someone on here might know.


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## rose (Apr 29, 2009)

Anyone?????


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

rose said:


> Hi. My almost 13 year old cav has been on fortekor for 5 years. She has just started coughing slightly  The vet has given her vetmedin and frusemide. I lost her mum and sister with the same condition MVD so have been down this road before. The vetmedin has to be given 12 hours apart and 1 hour before food. My dogs are fed at about 6pm. So I should give the tablets at 5am and 5pm!! If I give the am tablet later their dinner will be about 8pm which is too late. Also as they dont have a meal in the morning, do I have to give her food an hour after her morning tablet? Or is that only if they usually have a meal? I will ring the vet tomorrow, just thought someone on here might know.


Ive just looked up vetmedin on the Manufacturers leaflet and the 12 hours do seem to be the most important thing.
Could you perhaps give the first tablet at 6am then the breakfast at 7am and
then the next tablet at 6pm with the main meal at 7pm

This is the leaflet, double check but I cant actually see before food mentioned just the 12 hours apart for the pills, although if the vet said an hour before food of course stick to that until you have double checked with him
http://vetmedin-us.com/Vetmedin Insert_6-07.pdf


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## rose (Apr 29, 2009)

Hi thanks for that. I did read a bit on it on the internet. If the time of the food wasnt an issue, I would give the tablets at 8-9am and 8-9pm and her meal at 5 or 6 ish. Its just the vet said the tablet has to be given an hour before food (also says it on other websites) so I took it to mean she HAS to have some food an hour after taking the tablet. It would be fine if she could have the tablets 12 hours apart and her dinner whenever. My dogs are only fed once in the evening, with a couple of biscuits in the morning (I have 4)


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

rose said:


> Hi thanks for that. I did read a bit on it on the internet. If the time of the food wasnt an issue, I would give the tablets at 8-9am and 8-9pm and her meal at 5 or 6 ish. Its just the vet said the tablet has to be given an hour before food (also says it on other websites) so I took it to mean she HAS to have some food an hour after taking the tablet. It would be fine if she could have the tablets 12 hours apart and her dinner whenever. My dogs are only fed once in the evening, with a couple of biscuits in the morning (I have 4)


Just check with your vet, but as far as I can see on the leaflet which is actually the manufacturers dosage and administration chart I cant see food mentioned anywhere just the 12 hours. Whether he says before food becausse its something to do with the other med perhaps I dont know. Vetmedin isnt something Ive every used so I cant speak from experience Im afraid. He might just have said give it an hour before food because it works better that way, not meaning you have to give food an hour later, just that if you are feeding them give an hour before. I know with some meds, it says before food, others is after some is even with. He may mean as I said just in general, meaning dont give it with food its got to be any hour before.


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## Linden_Tree (Jan 6, 2011)

Vetmedin must be given on an *empty* stomach, hence the hour *before* feeding (i would not feed even 2 hours before personally). This is to ensure the measured dose is broken down and metabolised in the correct time frame. If given with food, after food, or fed too early after taking, then the drug will not work properly.

You don't *have* to give a meal an hour after administering, but the drug can cause a slight irritation of the stomach, and cause some bile to be vomited up, so a snack, or light meal can be of benefit.


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## rose (Apr 29, 2009)

Thank you to you both. I rang the vets yesterday and had a 3 way conversation with receptionist, vet and myself!! Basically they said the same "Meds work most effectively on an empty stomach" didnt really say 12 hour gap was imperative although desirable.) Still cannot get my head round the best times
unless I want to get up at 5am!!! I have been giving first dose at 9am, her meal at 4 30 ish and second tablet at 9pm. So meal has had 4.5 hours to digest/empty. Do you think this ok?


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## crazydogs (Aug 13, 2011)

Hi
don't know if this is of any help but my dog has heart problems and is on fortekor, frusemide and just recently vetmedin. My vet gave me this website to have a look on. 
Vetmedin


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## cy1982 (Feb 21, 2011)

With our dog Buzz, we gave him Vetmedin at 12 hour intervals - 6.15am and 6.15pm. We'd feed him an hour or so later. With vetmedin though, it's important its taken on an empty stomach, as this helps more of the medicine to absorb. Our cardiologist recommended that we give him his fortekor (benazepril?) after his food, as it was suggested its absorption improved with food (but perhaps only by a small amount).

I hope this helps. We lost our boy on Feb 16th and not a day goes by where we don't think about him and the love he brought to our lives.


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## armpit44 (Jun 24, 2020)

I have been grinding the half of 5mg pill up, & hiding it in cottage cheese, because it's almost as big as the dog. How in <<>*~ is one supposed to get a horsepill down a Chihuahua, without food. 
She hates the taste. I tried slipping down her w butter on it, & that didn't work. I finally got it down her wrapped in a little piece of turkey breast. But I have to do it twice a day, & it's really near impossible. I've gotten meds down dogs before but never a horse pill, without any trickery. I used to just put it in my dogs mouth and hold it snout shut,but her snout but it's so short there's no time to grab it. Does it come as a liquid?


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## Bobbie (May 3, 2008)

When my collie was on vetmedin use to grind the pill down and mix with a teaspoon of his wet meat then feed an hour later it was the only way to get the pill down him vet was informed of this he got use to what I called his starter


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## Lemonie68 (Mar 23, 2020)

We started on Vetmedin a few weeks ago along with frusemide. As recommended by our vet Bo gets her first lot at 8am and her second dose at 6pm. We don't feed her for an hour afterwards but she won't take the tablets on there own so has them in a small ball of pate. We've not noticed any problems with these times but each dog is different.


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## Colliebarmy (Sep 27, 2012)

Our 13+ YO boy collie is on vetmedin, we crush 3/4 of a tablet twice a day and add a small amount of water and he loves it...

We dont know how long he has left

We are preparing ourselves for that day which must come


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## RenegadeTrader (5 d ago)

rose said:


> Hi thanks for that. I did read a bit on it on the internet. If the time of the food wasnt an issue, I would give the tablets at 8-9am and 8-9pm and her meal at 5 or 6 ish. Its just the vet said the tablet has to be given an hour before food (also says it on other websites) so I took it to mean she HAS to have some food an hour after taking the tablet. It would be fine if she could have the tablets 12 hours apart and her dinner whenever. My dogs are only fed once in the evening, with a couple of biscuits in the morning (I have 4)


Taking vetmedin after food affects the absorption of the med. Food is not required after giving vetmedin. An hour before meals allows medicine to be absorbed.


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