Dogs
Canines, unlike humans, are not diagnosed by heart attacks, but suffer from a condition what is diagnosed as heart failure. Such a condition signifies that the heart of the animals is slowing down with time and requires immediate medical attention. Canine congestive heart failure is defined as a medical condition wherein, the heart muscles start weakening gradually. Causes include myocardial failure, volume overload, pressure overload and reduced ventricular compliance. When the ventricles of the heart are unable to contract easily so as to push the blood out of the heart, myocardial failure occurs. Volume overload is the case when the heart is filled with too much of fluid. In order to eject the blood when a higher than normal blood pressure is required, it causes the heart to become too large. This happens due to increase workload on the heart and this condition is known as pressure overload. Reduced ventricular compliance leads to abnormal function, congestion and diminished output. This occurs when the ventricles lose their ability of filling all the way.
Symptoms
Most symptoms of congestive heart failure do not show until dogs can no longer keep up with degrading changes in their body. In the later stages, they become much less active and tire easily. Dogs may collapse, drool abnormally more than usual and may have a bluish tongue. Appetite becomes poor and symptoms of difficult respiration, panting and coughing while resting are also exhibited. The early stages of the disease can be regarded as asymptomatic. By the time such symptoms start revealing themselves, the illness progresses from the curable congestive heart failure stages to a progressive one, which is rarely curable. In most cases, canines who are in their last stage of their illness have minimal survival rates and they may be expected to live for no longer than a year.
Treatment
The treatment methods are focused towards improving the condition and managing the symptoms of the illness. The treatment primarily consists of restricting exercise, improving cardiac output, reducing the heart's workload, low-sodium diets and managing abnormal heart rhythms. Controlling excess fluid in the tissues, lungs, abdomen and around the heart is also a part of the treatment and so is the application of diuretics.
At home, the pet owner must not fail to keep up with a regular schedule for administering the medications which have been prescribed by the vet. He must also keep an eye on the dog's general behavior, activity, response towards exercises and towards the family. It is equally important to keep a note on the appetite and occurrence of any such symptoms as mentioned above. The owner must complete the course of medication and should not stop without any advice from the vet. As far as the prevention of canine congestive heart failure is concerned, there is nothing much that can be done. However, early diagnosis and treatment can provide an improved quality of life to your pet. Unfortunately, there is no cure for such a disease and the best any pet owner can do is to take all possible measures to make his pet comfortable and help him to live a normal life.
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Dogs
Canine Congestive Heart Failure
Canines, unlike humans, are not diagnosed by heart attacks, but suffer from a condition what is diagnosed as heart failure. Such a condition signifies that the heart of the animals is slowing down with time and requires immediate medical attention. Canine congestive heart failure is defined as a medical condition wherein, the heart muscles start weakening gradually. Causes include myocardial failure, volume overload, pressure overload and reduced ventricular compliance. When the ventricles of the heart are unable to contract easily so as to push the blood out of the heart, myocardial failure occurs. Volume overload is the case when the heart is filled with too much of fluid. In order to eject the blood when a higher than normal blood pressure is required, it causes the heart to become too large. This happens due to increase workload on the heart and this condition is known as pressure overload. Reduced ventricular compliance leads to abnormal function, congestion and diminished output. This occurs when the ventricles lose their ability of filling all the way.
Symptoms
Most symptoms of congestive heart failure do not show until dogs can no longer keep up with degrading changes in their body. In the later stages, they become much less active and tire easily. Dogs may collapse, drool abnormally more than usual and may have a bluish tongue. Appetite becomes poor and symptoms of difficult respiration, panting and coughing while resting are also exhibited. The early stages of the disease can be regarded as asymptomatic. By the time such symptoms start revealing themselves, the illness progresses from the curable congestive heart failure stages to a progressive one, which is rarely curable. In most cases, canines who are in their last stage of their illness have minimal survival rates and they may be expected to live for no longer than a year.
Treatment
The treatment methods are focused towards improving the condition and managing the symptoms of the illness. The treatment primarily consists of restricting exercise, improving cardiac output, reducing the heart's workload, low-sodium diets and managing abnormal heart rhythms. Controlling excess fluid in the tissues, lungs, abdomen and around the heart is also a part of the treatment and so is the application of diuretics.
At home, the pet owner must not fail to keep up with a regular schedule for administering the medications which have been prescribed by the vet. He must also keep an eye on the dog's general behavior, activity, response towards exercises and towards the family. It is equally important to keep a note on the appetite and occurrence of any such symptoms as mentioned above. The owner must complete the course of medication and should not stop without any advice from the vet. As far as the prevention of canine congestive heart failure is concerned, there is nothing much that can be done. However, early diagnosis and treatment can provide an improved quality of life to your pet. Unfortunately, there is no cure for such a disease and the best any pet owner can do is to take all possible measures to make his pet comfortable and help him to live a normal life.
- Mitral Valve Disease And Dogs
What is mitral valve disease? It is a heart condition where the mitral valve (the valve on the left side of the heart) fails to function properly. Who are most commonly affected? Studies show that this disease are common in adult dogs or older dogs...
- Heart Murmur In Dogs
Heart murmur is a cardiac problem which occurs in dogs, as a result of turbulence in the blood flow. This disorder is mostly found in young dogs. The 'heart murmur' can be heard in the form of blood flowing in the heart and the blood vessels...
- Heart Arrhythmia In Dogs
When one thinks of heart arrhythmias, one often thinks about the human heart. Dogs, man's best friend, also suffers from similar health problems. Heart arrhythmia occur in dogs after a disturbance in the normal rhythm of the heart. The heart...
- Enlarged Heart In Dogs
Enlarged heart is a common health issue in middle-aged male canines of larger breeds. In this condition, also known as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the heart deteriorates to a point where it ceases to pump blood throughout the body. With time, this...
- Dog Heart Attack Symptoms
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