Dog Heart Atrial Fibrilation – Interaction of Digoxin and Hawthorne

March 1, 2015

Hi Judy,
As I am not a certified cardiologist, and your dog will need to be monitored regarding her arrhythmias, if the digoxin is to be changed, I would refer you to SAGE Vet Center in San Mateo. http://www.sagecenters.com/cardiology.php

I am located in Walnut Creek, and I am familiar with the SAGE Center in Concord. I am also familiar with the Walnut Creek group at the East Bay Veterinary Specialists, http://www.ebvs.com/internal-medicine/. Although, they do not list cardiology at the top, they are board certified in internal medicine, and treat a variety of cardiac conditions.

I am not familiar with any holistic veterinarians that ‘specialize’ in cardiac disease. As a holistic veterinarian, the goal is to treat the entire patient.

You wrote,
“Digoxin is no longer used in humans. Usually beta blockers and/or calcium channel blockers are the first and better choice, e.g., Diltiazem.”

Digoxin is actually a drug that is not used much in veterinary medicine either.

The Herbal combination from Five Leaf Pharmacy– caninehearthealth, you mentioned looks like a very good one:

They describe the Hawthorne as being similar to Digitalis, but the Motherwort Herb is actually the active ingredient to help with the arrhythmias, which is what your dog needs to stabilize her heart.

***HAWTHORNE (berry, flower and leaf):
• Increase the contractions of the heart muscle
• Improve left ventricle ejection fraction
• Reduce peripheral vascular resistance by dilating the blood vessels
• Be a mild diuretic
• Powerful antioxidant
Overall Hawthorne helps the heart pump more easily, but with more force and protects the heart from any future damage.
This herb is considered to be the user friendly Digitalis.

***MOTHERWORT HERB:
• Helps with cardiac arrhythmia and tachycardia
• A strong influence over the regularity of the heart
• Strengthens weakness of the heart

You wrote,
We feed her about 48-56 oz of food/day across 4 feedings.

I am not sure how many calories you are feeding her. A 100 lb dog needs at least 1,400 calories per day. A 120 lb dog needs at least 1,600 calories per day. Make sure you are feeding her enough calories.

You wrote:
**She does not like to eat in the morning

**The rest of her food she prefers from 4:30 pm at the earliest until 11 pm.

**She only seems to like eating when it is cool

These symptoms, including her irregular heart beats, coughs from heart disease, fit several homeopathic remedies, the top one is: Natrum muriaticum, then Arsenicum album, and also Nux vomica.

You wrote,
“How do we phase out Digoxin and phase in hawthorne without adversely affecting this puppy?”

I do not know if you will be able to ‘phase out’ the Digoxin completely with this dog. I suspect this is a congenital defect. You may be able to decrease the dose, possibly combine it with another drug, and use the herbal combination along with the conventional drug (s). But I would only do this under the supervision of a cardiologist who is monitoring her heart.

I would continue the Five Leaf Pharmacy Canine Heart Health formula. And, you could certainly start her on one of the homeopathic remedies, perhaps the Nux vomica to help her appetite. Although, I usually find that heart disease when not stabilized will cause decreased appetite.

A holistic veterinarian in your area would be able to help with dose and potency for using the homeopathic remedies. And would be able to write an exemption form for vaccinations, as I would NOT give her any vaccinations.

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.