Let’s talk to Poppy’s owner about treatment options

How will you respond to Mr Oakley?

• Option A

  “The test shows that Poppy’s heart is bigger than it should be. This is because her mitral valve disease is getting worse. It means that at some point in the future she may go into heart failure although I can’t tell you when exactly that will be. We can wait and see how she is at her next check-up and then start treatment if we need to.”

• Option B

  “I can tell from the test that Poppy has a big heart, what this means is that her mitral valve disease is progressing. In this situation you must start her on daily medication. This will increase her life expectancy as it slows the progression of the disease. By giving her Vetmedin^® she’ll stay happy and outwardly healthier for longer.”

• Option C

  “You can see from the test that Poppy has an enlarged heart, what this means is that her mitral valve disease is getting worse. At some point her heart won’t be able to cope anymore and she will go into heart failure and become unwell. We can slow this deterioration and delay the point when her heart fails by giving her Vetmedin^® each day. However, if we do not start treatment soon, we’ll lose the opportunity to start treatment early and Poppy is likely to develop heart failure sooner.”