Viagra, It’s Not Just for Men

  Posted on December 18, 2010  by Joy of Living  No comments

Many of us have seen the rather cheesy ads for Viagra and are aware of it’s benefits for men, but did you know it can have benefits for dogs suffering with pulmonary hypertension?

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is elevated pulmonary arterial pressure.  It can cause the right side of the heart to become enlarged. If pressure on the right side of the heart rises enough, it can impede blood flow to the left side of the heart, causing blood to “back up” into the right side of the heart and reduce blood flow to the body.

Dogs with mild PH have an excellent prognosis and rarely experience symptoms.  If symptoms require medication to control, vets often prescribe sildenafil (Viagra). Sixty-five percent of dogs with PH respond to Viagra and show significant improvement.

If your dog is experiencing coughing, weakness, exercise intolerance, rapid and shallow breathing, fainting, or abdominal swelling, he may be suffering from PH.  Your vet can order an echocardiogram to determine if PH is the problem.

As the ad says, “Viva Viagra!”
ehow.com was used as a reference for this post