Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) in Rats
This condition is under-diagnosed and frequently mistaken for respiratory infection. It is often CONCURRENT with respiratory infection, making diagnosis more difficult.
Symptoms:
- Cool Extremities (circulation)
- Pale/Discolored Extremities (circulation)
- Shallow, Rapid Breathing at the Rib Cage (edema)
- Lethargy/Inactivity/Exercise Intolerance (muscle myopathy/hypertension)
- Decreased Appetite/Rapid Weight Loss
- Rapid Weight Gain - Bloating (edema)
- Mania - Without Gasping (hypertension)
- Decreased Fluid Intake (edema/kidney disease)
- Dilute Urine/Increased Output (kidney disease)
Diagnosis:
- Ultrasound (echo), MRI
- If the rat does NOT respond to antibiotics, enalapril can be used as a diagnostic tool.
Supplements:
- CoQ-10
- L-carnitine
- Taurine
- Calcium carbonate (Tums)
Treatment:
- Enalapril Maleate (ACE inhibitor) - .55 mg/kg once a day to start -increase to twice a day after one week. As disease progresses and tolerance develops, may need to increase dose.
- Furosemide (Lasix) - 1-2 mg/kg 1-3 times a day (I like to use as little as possible due to dehydration)
- Buprenorphine - .02-.3 mg/kg twice a day (analgesia, sedative)
- Deb Ducommun also recommends Atenolol (beta blocker) and Digoxin (digitalis) for certain cases (I have limited experience with atenolol and have not used digoxin)
- Oxygen
Futher Reading:
Please read the Rat Guide - http://ratguide.com/health/cardiovascular/congestive_heart_failure.php
References:
Rat Health Care, Deb Ducommun;
Schwertz, D et al, Sex differences in the response of rat heart ventrical to calcium, Bio Res for Nursing, Vol. 5, No. 4, 286-298 (2004);
L-Carnitine: a potential treatment for blocking apoptosis and preventing skeletal muscle myopathy in heart failure, Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 283: C802-C810 (2002);
Schoekess, BO et al, Propionyl L-carnitine improvement of hypertrophied rat heart function is associated with an increase in cardiac efficiency, Eur J Pharmacol, #286, 155-156, (1995 Nov. 14);
Hann, J et al, Protective effect of taurine against free radicals damage in the rat myocardium, Exper & Tox Path 56(3):189-94, (2004 Dec.);
Sener, G et al, L-carnitine ameliorates oxidative damage due to chronic renal failure in rats, J Cardiov Pharm 43(5):698-705, (2004 May).