Dog with CHF: high heart rate & heavy breathing after starting meds?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pillsbury is a 3 year old 70 lb pitbull boxer mix that was diagnosed last week with right-sided congestive heart failure. At the appointment, they tapped his stomach and withdrew about half a gallon of liquid so he's now down to 62. Since Monday, he's been prescribed Vetmedin (5mg) and Enacard (5mg). It's been several days now and his heart rate is consistebtly between 152-160 beats per minute in resting state, accompanied by heavy breathing. Is this normal as a side effect of the medication?
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on February 10th, 2019
I am worried that the increased heart rate may be more due to his heart failure and more fluids around his lungs or in his abdomen. I would talk to your vet about his meds. They may want to increase the dosage of all the meds to help him compensate. They may also add meds like a diuretic to help get some of the fluids off the chest. I am so sorry you are having to go through this. Right sided heart failure is usually caused by heartworms most commonly. Heartworms may not be very common in your area but it may be worth checking. If they haven't already, I would ask them to check for heartworms. I hope this helps!
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Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on May 10th, 2017
Signs of heart disease are coughing, exercise intolerance, difficulty breathing, fainting, swollen belly, etc. Not much can be done for heart disease from home aside from reducing stress and excessive exercise. Depending on the cause, heart disease is often managed with medication but is not cured. Your veterinarian will want to listen to her heart and potentially perform an EKG if they suspect heart disease. If you suspect that your other dog has heart disease, you should also have him/her examined by a veterinarian.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on January 18th, 2018
Hi. Poor Chloe, and we are so sorry for the loss of your mom. Yes, the cough could be simple from an infection, allergies, collapsed trachea, etc. But in older pets, it can be secondary to heart disease where the heart b3gibs to push up on the trachea, or even causes fluid in the lungs. In older, small- to medium-size breed dogs, the most common heart diseases are degenerative issues, such as endocardiosis, also called chronic degenerative-valve disease or acquired valvular heart disease. The good news is there are medications that will help the heart function better and not work so hard. The sooner things are diagnosed and treatment is started, the better the prognosis. The first step is to have Chloe examined, and then have an echcardiogram ( heart ultrasound), blood pressure, and an EKG. It will Chloe on the right track
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on June 24th, 2019
It could be the vet heard a heart murmur when listening to Red's chest, which is a sign of heart failure. In addition, it can be common in senior dogs. Yes, heart failure can be present without those additional signs, these signs come on as the disease progresses. He may be in the early stages of heart disease. You can take him into another vet for a second opinion including x-rays. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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