Our furry friends bring joy to our lives and unconditional love. Even so, it’s no secret that caring for our dogs can be quite daunting. With all of the different information sources out there it isn’t always easy knowing who or where to turn to for guidance, especially if they have a medical condition that requires a prescribed medicine such as Fortekor.
If you’ve recently been instructed to order a prescription of Fortekor for dogs or heard about it from your vet, then you probably have some questions. That said, let’s take a closer look at this treatment option for your pooch, and find out all the details you might want to know about.
Why Is Fortekor Prescribed?
Fortekor is a veterinary medicine used to treat congestive heart failure in dogs. Congestive heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body. The congestive heart failure that Fortekor is prescribed for, may be caused by several factors including heart disease, high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy. This can lead to inability to carry out physical activity, difficulty breathing and fluid retention. Other symptoms of this condition include difficulty breathing, lethargy, loss of appetite and coughing.
Thus, if this condition is treated well, it can help them recover from exercise intolerance and enable the heart’s ability to contract and relax properly. And this in turn helps improve their quality of life and enables them to be more active and playful with their owners and other dogs.
Fortekor for dogs is to be given once a day, usually in a small amount of one to ten milligrams, for an indefinite period of time, depending on your dog’s response to treatment. It’s best to be given orally with food or water.
Along with the Fortekor tablets, you must follow a comprehensive treatment programme for your pet. It is also important to take your dog for regular exercise, as this will improve their overall health and well-being.
How Does Fortekor Work?
As mentioned, when your dog has congestive heart failure, his heart cannot pump blood effectively enough to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body. The role of Fortekor is to help the heart muscle contract more strongly and regularly, which in turn helps the heart pump blood more efficiently and reduces fluid build-up in the lungs.
It also relaxes the arteries so that they do not have to work as hard to push blood through them. This, in turn, can improve the ability of your dog’s heart to pump blood and as a result, your dog will have less pain and will be able to exercise more effectively, eventually leading to a longer life for him.
However, its effects are not instant and may take 2-4 weeks to become visible after starting the treatment. Treating congestive heart failure with Fortekor also requires ongoing veterinary care, including periodic tests to monitor your dog’s condition.
The Active Ingredients In Fortekor
The active ingredients in Fortekor are pimobendan and benazepril hydrochloride.
- Pimobendan is a cardiac stimulant that belongs to the class of drugs known as inodilators. It is often prescribed preventatively, for dogs with mitral valve disease, a heart condition that can later cause congestive heart failure.
- Benazepril, on the other hand, belongs to the ACE inhibitor class of drugs, and this is the most powerful active ingredient in Fortekor for dogs because it decreases the workload on the heart by decreasing blood volume and reducing fluid accumulation in the lungs.
These two ingredients are beneficial when used together, with either one showing positive results in dog patients with congestive heart failure.
The Key Benefits That Your Dog Will Experience From Fortekor
Just like people can benefit from supplements, the same goes for dogs. There are a number of heart-friendly supplements that are recommended as an addition to the main treatment and which can improve your dog’s health and well-being in the long run. Nonetheless, they can’t match the benefits of Fortekor alone.
- The drug helps relax blood vessels, which in turn reduces the workload on the failing heart and increases its ability to pump blood.
- It can delay or even prevent further deterioration in your dog’s condition due to heart failure, allowing your pet more quality time with you.
- It can prolong your pet’s life, especially if combined with other drugs that improve cardiovascular function and help prevent or reverse damage to the heart muscle caused by a weakened heart.
- With Fortekor, your dog will be able to play longer and more actively without showing signs of fatigue or shortness of breath, unlike other medications that decrease the work of the heart without relieving congestion in its blood vessels.
- Your dog won’t need to be hospitalised for treatment since Fortekor can be given at home as a once-daily oral medication.
The Most Common Side Effects of Fortekor as a Treatment for Your Dog
Most of the side effects of taking this drug are not serious, however, the most severe Fortekor side effects are diarrhea and vomiting. These side effects may be caused by interactions with other medications or foods that you feed to your dog. If your dog suffers from these problems, contact your veterinarian for further advice.
Additionally, this medication also increases appetite, so your dog may be eating more to replace the food that he is losing from these two other side effects. In this case, it is important to keep an eye on your dog for any signs of dehydration, which includes dry mouth, increased thirst, dark urine and pale gums as one of the most common symptoms.
In the end, Fortekor comes with a strong set of benefits that have been shown time and time again to be effective for dogs who suffer from this medical condition. So, if your dog fits into the large majority of canines who do benefit from Fortekor, it could be a life-changing solution for you and your pup.
