VETRISCIENCE - Cardio Strength, Cardiovascular and Circulatory Support Supplement for Dogs and Cats, 90 Capsules

My dog has been taking this for years for her mitral valve disease. Good product but expensive. Please make it more affordable

If you're a cat owner, you're probably looking into this because your cat was just diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), probably with congestive heart failure (CHF). You're devastated. And you're probably desperate for info. I'll describe our experience here, including the role of VetriScience Labs Cardio Strength (later in this review). It's a bit of a long story, but bare with me. Hopefully the info will help you and your cat. Okay, so our 10-year-old cat, Melvin, was diagnosed with HCM with CHF in mid-December of 2016. Very grim diagnosis based on echocardiogram. He was in bad shape. After careful research and vet-guided experimentation, his regimen has been prescribed doses of furosemide (Lasix) and diltiazem twice a day (morning and night). It's crucial to give these regularly, and luckily they are not expensive. We get ours at a regular (human) pharmacy. We also give him 1/4 of a non-generic 81mg "low dose" aspirin every other day (in the morning). We have found that the name brand low-dose aspirin is easier to cut with a pill cutter. If you don't have a pill cutter, get one along with some 7-day pill organizers (a clear organizer for morning and a darker-colored one for night). Cutters and organizers are available on Amazon. You'll be doing a lot of cutting and pill organizing with an HCM/CHF cat. Anyway, on days where Melvin gets Lasix, diltiazem, AND aspirin, they are ALL able to fit in a size 4 clear empty gel capsule (also available on Amazon). We use the gel caps to give all medications, actually, because he has no trouble swallowing the size 4 caps (might be able to get away with size 3--just a tad bigger), and they will alleviate the bitter taste problem with ANY medication. We administer all pills with a pet pill gun (also available on Amazon). The pill gun is a godsend. You just confidently and quickly stick it back in your pet's mouth (wrap the cat in a towel if need be) and jam down the plunger. Boom! He doesn't even care about getting pills anymore. Quick and easy. No stress. We were unable to give pills before we discovered the empty gel caps trick and pill gun. Okay...so the prescribed medicine regimen was working well, but he was still having some breathing issues. This Cardio Strength supplement took us the rest of the way it seems. This is a BIG supplement pill. Luckily Melvin will take it when you sprinkle it on his food and mix it in. I wouldn't try to give this one with a pill gun. It's really big. So hopefully your cat will take it sprinkled on wet food. Otherwise you might need to get creative--maybe by splitting up the supplement into smaller gel caps and giving a couple of times a day. We just sprinkle one whole capsule over Melvin's food, IAMS MaxCal, which is a prescription diet (available through Amazon and elsewhere). It has a low sodium content, which is important. Mel is also an indoor-outdoor cat, and research has shown that the stress of not being able to go outside can really take a tool on an HCM cat. Our solution was to track him in real-time with the Pawtrack GPS collar designed specifically for cats (not yet available on Amazon, but it SHOULD BE). It's an incredible bit of technology at a very reasonable price. Cats with HCM are at risk of developing hind leg paralysis from thromboembolism. The aspirin is used to prevent this, but it's no guarantee. So, with Pawtrack we can track Mel and go to him if he seems to be in one spot for too long. I have tested this and and am able to get within 5-10 feet of him. When I get to where I think he is, I call him or activate the beeper, and there he is!! But I digress. So far Cardio Strength seems to be helping our cat more than the prescribed medications alone. I wouldn't want to drop the prescribed medications, but the supplement seems to be providing the boost that allows Mel to enjoy a high quality of life, which is critically important for us. PLEASE talk to your vet, though, before giving any supplements!! We have our fingers crossed that our comprehensive treatment plan will help keep Mel around for as long as possible. Cardio Strength seems to be helping to put a spring back in his step, and that is quite a significant thing when you consider the grim prognosis he was given. So far, so good. We continue to hope for the best and are grateful for the boost he seems to be getting from Cardio Strength.

This stuff is amazing. I have a 12 tear old male Pomeranian that developed a heart murmur and a cough, so I took him to the vet and he said its the start of congestive heart failure.. He recommended a heart ecg and bunch of drugs, said I would get back to him. I am a natural health care practioner so right away I researched what he needed and found this product. The first time I ordered 2 bottles and gave my boy pom one capsule per day and his sister as well even though there was no signs of heart fauilure with her. The coughing almost disappeared within 2 weeks except for when he gets real excited like when someone comes to the door. 3 months later its time for a check up, so right away he checks his heart and I see him moving his stethoscope around his chest and he stops and says that's weird his heart is normal no more murmur I have never seen that before. I told him about the vetriscience that I was giving him. This vet is not into alternate meds at all but he wanted to know what I was using, he said I cant deny the results of you using it. I now only give him one every 2 days and all is good. Thanks for a fantastic product. Marty

My Ragdoll was diagnosed with HCM after he went into CHF just shy of his first birthday. We started him on a regiment of medications and supplements (including Cardio Strength), but were told it was really only a matter of time before he had another heart failure event. That was 7 years ago, and we have had no problems since. The capsules are large, but if I dip it in yogurt, my kitty has no problem swallowing it. They are easy to open and not packed full, so if you need to pop in another small pill you can. I'm pretty sure he knows they help make him feel better, because he swallows it fairly willingly and even waits around when he knows it medication/feeding time! I have no way to know for sure if its the Cardio Strength itself that has made a difference, but given how my kitty has responded the vets advice has been to "change nothing" and I don't plant to! My kitty and I hope they never discontinue this product.

This is an amazing product and it has definitely helped my older dog. My 9+ dog was exhibiting signs of fatigue and excessive panting with not a lot of exertion. Because he is older and has hip problems, it is hard to get him in a car - he can't hop up into my small crossover - so getting him to a vet is almost out of the question and I don't know any vets who make house calls. I saw this product when doing an Amazon search and thought it would be worth trying to see if it would help my dog. I have been giving my dog 3 capsules/day ( he weighs around 90 pounds) for the past several months and this product has truly made a big difference in my dog's physical well being. He has more energy and his huffing and puffing with exertion is practically non-existent. He is now able to go up and down the stairs with little or no effort and if there is a rabbit or squirrel in the yard when I let him out to do his doggie business, he runs across the yard trying to catch the little animals. Thankfully, they are much faster at escaping than he is at getting to them. My dog is now on his 4th bottle of the Cardio Strength. I will continue to buy this product and to give the capsules to him daily as it has made a big difference and a great improvement in his quality of life. The product is definitely worth the price I pay for it. Highly recommended.