Cardalis (Spironolactone/Benazepril) Chewable Tablets for Dogs

Cardalis Chewable Tablets (Spironolactone and Benazepril Hydrochloride) for Dogs

For dogs. Prescription required.

Product Description

Cardalis is a combination chewable tablet from Ceva pairing spironolactone with benazepril hydrochloride. It is indicated with concurrent therapy, such as furosemide, for the management of clinical signs of mild, moderate, or severe congestive heart failure in dogs due to atrioventricular valvular insufficiency.

Degenerative mitral valve disease is the most common cardiac condition in dogs, particularly in small breeds, and most dogs who develop congestive heart failure from it end up on several medications at once. Combining two of them into a single chewable removes a dose from the daily routine, which matters more than it sounds when an owner is already giving a diuretic, sometimes a second heart medication, and often something else besides.

Benazepril is an ACE inhibitor, and spironolactone is an aldosterone antagonist with a mild diuretic effect. They work on different parts of the same hormonal pathway that drives fluid retention and cardiac remodeling in heart failure.

It is a chewable, which helps with long term compliance in a dog who will be on it indefinitely.

Specifications

Active ingredients: spironolactone and benazepril hydrochloride
Species: dogs
Form: chewable tablet
Prescription required
Available in three strengths

How to Use

Give exactly as prescribed, once daily, using the strength your veterinarian specified.

Give it at the same time each day. Consistency matters with cardiac medication, and a routine tied to a meal or a morning habit is easier to maintain than a floating schedule.

Do not stop or change the dose without talking to your veterinarian. Stopping heart medication abruptly can precipitate a decompensation.

If a dose is missed, give it when you remember unless it is nearly time for the next one. Do not double up.

Keep giving the other medications your veterinarian prescribed. Cardalis is used alongside furosemide or other therapy, not instead of it.

Important Safety Information

Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. For use in dogs only.

Your veterinarian will want periodic bloodwork to monitor kidney values and electrolytes, particularly potassium, since both drug classes affect them. Keep those recheck appointments even when your dog seems stable.

Tell your veterinarian about every medication and supplement your dog receives, including potassium supplements and any other diuretic, since combinations can raise potassium to dangerous levels.

Do not use in dogs used for breeding, or in pregnant or lactating dogs. Use with caution in dogs with pre-existing kidney impairment or hypoadrenocorticism.

Contact your veterinarian if your dog develops vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, marked lethargy, weakness, or a change in urination.

Seek veterinary attention promptly for increased respiratory rate or effort at rest, coughing that worsens, fainting or collapse, a distended abdomen, or gums that look pale or bluish. Those can signal that heart failure is progressing.

Keep out of reach of children and pets. The tablets are flavored, so store the bottle securely. See the full package insert for complete prescribing information.