CONCLUSION

Pimobendan is an inodilator used to treat overt or impending congestive heart failure in dogs. Studies have either demonstrated or suggested a favorable influence when pimobendan is used as adjunctive therapy (e.g. with an ACE inhibitor, furosemide, digoxin) in patients with advanced dilated cardiomyopathy or degenerative mitral valve disease.^9,13,14 In our experience with more than 100 dogs, pimobendan is well-tolerated and has few adverse effects. Pimobendan should not be used as a replacement for, but rather as cotherapy with, other cardiac drugs to enhance the quality of life in dogs with overt or impending congestive heart failure.

Justin D. Thomason, DVM, DACVIM (small animal internal medicine)
Department of Clinical Sciences
Center for Veterinary Health Sciences
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078

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