At the Canadian Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Sharlene from the UK, has a special interest in cardiac abnormalities.
Although heart problems are found more often in older pets, these conditions can affect pets at any age. Heart disease is usually a life-threatening condition, but early diagnosis and appropriate therapy can extend your pet’s life. In young pets, if caught soon enough, a few types of heart disease can be cured.
One of the first indications of heart disease comes during a physical examination of the pet. Our veterinarians are trained to pick up on all murmurs, and document how loud they are and the location where they are heard. Accurate auscultations or listening to heart sounds, requires the pet be quiet, still and preferably not panting. This is why we often try and get them to stop panting or purring. Clients often think the vet can hear them talking as they listen to the heart, but it is very important that the room be as quiet as possible during this assessment.
Our veterinarians will often recommend you return with your pet, and compare the intensity of the murmur at each visit. They will document the details of the murmur in their medical record, and assess their lung sounds, and pulses. This gives us an indication of how the disease may be progressing, and direct us in some circumstances to adjust medications or recheck a test.
Some forms of heart disease can lead to congestive heart failure (CHF), which occurs when the heart can no longer pump blood effectively. If an animal is suffering from CHF, fluid usually accumulates in and around the lungs and sometimes in more advanced disease, in the abdomen. Congenital heart disease (animals born with a heart problem), valvular heart disease (abnormalities of the heart valves), arrhythmias (rhythm disturbances), and heartworm disease can all lead to CHF.
Call us if your pet starts breathing rapidly or coughing, loses his or her appetite, tires easily, seems weak, or has trouble exercising. We can discover many heart problems during a physical exam. Additional tests, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG), radiographs (x-rays), and ultrasounds, are usually needed to accurately identify the cause of the heart disease or failure.
There has been a lot of research over the last decade on heart disease in pets. Many of these pets, once accurately diagnosed, can be put on medications on a long term basis to give them both longevity and quality of life.
We often will recommend blood work, a blood test called a pro-BNP to assess the extent or progress of the disease, x-rays, blood pressure and eventually an echocardiograph (ultrasound of the heart).
Please call us today if you have concerns about your pets heart.
