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Semintra And Heart Disease?

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Amysguineapigs

Amysguineapigs

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Hi,
My almost 6 year old guinea pig was diagnosed with heart disease last year and is on furosemide, which he has been doing well on. Today he went for his three month check up and my vet suggested he goes on semintra for the fluid which we can clearly hear and of course puts him at risk of a respiratory. So I agreed to the medication which cost me £41! For just a 30ml bottle, which may not even agree with him. I don't really understand how the medication will work, his been fine without for a year, not sure of it's just a money making thing. Has anyone used semintra?

Thanks
Amy
 
Am afraid I have never heard of it, all of mine have been on furosemide and an ACE inhibitor only. Could they not look at increasing the furosemide instead? Is she on an ACE Inhibator like Benazapril (Fortekor or Nelio) too?
 
It's around £25. Sometimes it's cheaper to just get the prescription and get the medication from a normal pharmacy that does vetinary prescriptions x
 
According to Google, Semintra is for kidney disease? I am assuming the vet thinks the Furosemide is causing the kidneys to struggle maybe? It's not heart medication. Normally a diuretic & a heart med is given to heart failure piggies, the balance between the two keeps the fluid down whilst keeping the heart pumping. @Adelle or @helen105281 can explain better.
 
The active ingredient is Telmisartan which essentially has the effect of dilating blood vessels (by blocking a hormone that constricts the vessels), reducing blood pressure and water retention and helping to prevent kidney damage and heart disease. It does have some diuretic effect. Sadly I have no idea what-so-ever if this is a good medication for guinea pigs. Telmistartan is used in human medicine, mainly to lower blood pressure, and obviously cats (under the name of Semintra for cats). It may be worth phoning your vets and asking him how well tolerated this is in guinea pigs x

Furosemide is a diuretic, also helping to lower blood pressure and reducing water retention, but works in a different way to the Telmisartan. I don't know how Furosemide works exactly though, I don't quite understand it, but it is different as I say. It's common to use drugs that have similar effects but work via different methods in conjunction with one-another, but I say, I have absolutely no idea what-so-ever if it's a good combination in piggies (as in the Semintra) x

I also hope someone can explain it! x
 
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Because heart and kidneys are so interlinked in their functions, the same medications can help manage both.

My nearly 8 year old sow has been in heart failure for over 18 months, she was given 2 weeks to live as her case was severe and she needed such high doses of medications to even touch the fluid in her lungs. She is on a maximum dose frusemide and spironolactone (diuretics), vetmedin and Fortekor (heart meds).

Your vet has either noticed a change in the hearts strength or rhythm, or his colour isn't great (indicating poor circulation from a weakened heart.) or he could just be trying to improve heart function in the hope the fluid will reduce in turn, if he doesn't want to increase the diuretics instead.. Either way, you should have been told but there must be a reason for it.

For either of those reasons above, I would recommend Fortekor or vetmedin (or both). These have been known to make a difference in heart disease in pigs and Fortekor is usually very well tolerated, vetmedin maybe slightly less.

My sow has had her meds increased over the period of her illness (as its a progressive disease, so we have to keep moving with her needs), and each time we have done so, her symptoms have improved back to their previous state.

I would recommend having a chat with your vet and querying WHY they want him on those new meds.

Fluid build up is a result of a heart functioning less well than it should. Regular Diuretics keep this fluid at bay- but it isn't managing the problem. ACE inhibitors such as Fortekor help manage blood pressure and vessels to keep blood moving; and vetmedin helps strengthen the heart muscle and it's contractions- both can help reduce the amount of fluid being produced if they are effective.

I would have thought your vet would have tried these at the beginning so I would definately ask why, and suggest the other meds mentioned above.

All the best X
 
Thank you everyone for your comments. I'm going to research a bit more before I collect the medication Friday as it's going to be difficult to speak with my vet now. My vet mentioned a medication for piggies with bad hearts which tastes like beef? Can't remember the name.

I thought about mentioning increasing the furosemide dose but that won't help the excess fluids?

My vet did mention she had put a geriatric guinea pig on semintra not long ago and seems fine on it, not sure whether to trust her on this. @sport_billy I know we see the same vet, would you trust her on this?
 
Amysguineapigs said:
Thank you everyone for your comments. I'm going to research a bit more before I collect the medication Friday as it's going to be difficult to speak with my vet now. My vet mentioned a medication for piggies with bad hearts which tastes like beef? Can't remember the name.

I thought about mentioning increasing the furosemide dose but that won't help the excess fluids?

My vet did mention she had put a geriatric guinea pig on semintra not long ago and seems fine on it, not sure whether to trust her on this. @sport_billy I know we see the same vet, would you trust her on this?
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I wouldn't think something beef flavoured is suitable for a Guinea pig since they are herbivores, especially since there are other more widely used alternatives.

Increasing frusemide would help rid some more of the fluid yes, but it's not helping manage the heart issue. Fortekor and vetmedins aim is to help the heart function better, producing less fluid.. Meaning you wouldn't be relying on extra diuretics. Giving diuretics but no heart meds for heart disease is like only taking pain killers for athritis.. Yes it helps manage the symptoms and makes you more comfortable- but it's progressive and you need something to manage the actual disease such as anti inflammatories.. In the hearts case, ace inhibitors.

What strength is the frusemide you are using? And how much are you giving and how often?

When was he diagnosed and started on the frusemide? How often does he have repeat chest X-rays to monitor the fluid and heart/lung condition?
 
Amy, we have always trusted her implicitly - but he is your pig and as with anything - if you have concerns then speak to her, she will understand and explain why she has prescribed it I am sure.
Personally if I was worried I would discuss my concerns with her first, if it meant waiting longer to speak to her before starting the drug then I would. Maybe get her to phone you to discuss your concerns and run through everything with you?
 
I spoke to my vet earlier this morning on the phone and she explained about how the semintra works and how it is used for both heart and kidney problems. Semintra works as an angiotensin receptor blocker which makes the bloods flower easier through the blood vessels as it works by relaxing and dilating the vessels. She has ten guinea pigs on semintra which seem to be doing well, although the medication is expensive she said she would write a prescription so I could get it cheaper online which I am thinking about doing. She said obviously the prescription method does take longer she wouldn't yet class Cookie as "advanced".

She did also mention an alternative which most of you mentioned is Fortekor which is the beef flavoured tablets?
I do trust her and I will be trying out the semintra after the long discussion I had with her.
 
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