Coronary disease in Dogs

Should your dog ever be diagnosed as having  a heart murmur , it could be an indication of canine heart disease. A heart murmur is basically a noise caused by abnormal  blood flow running through, into or out of the heart. Some heart murmurs are completely normal whilst some, like those heard in elderly dogs, are sometimes an indication that some form of cardiovascular disease is occurring. The most prevalent heart conditions in dogs include:

1. Congenital birth defects that appear when the puppy is at an early age.
2. Degenerative valve conditions (coronary valve leaks) which predominately affect aged or middle-aged dogs.
3. Damage to cardiovascular muscle tissue which is frequently observed in younger dogs or middle-aged larger breed of dogs.

Uncovering The Disease

It is possible that coronary disease may  not appear or be diagnosed before it’s arrived at a point at which your dog has a cardiac arrest, collapse, and maybe even sudden death. Your vet will be ın a position to examine your dog  for heart murmurs using a stethoscope. Nevertheless, as a dog owner, it is your duty to be on the alert for specific indicators like difficulty in breathing, coughing, intolerance of physical exercise, or perhaps an enlarged abdominal area (brought on by fluid retention).
Canine heart disease may also be looked for through specific details relating to your pet’s breed, age, upper body x-rays, blood pressure data, and EKG readings. To get a conclusive diagnosis, an ultrasound examination of your dog’s heart is necessary.

Therapy

Getting your dog back in good health depends exclusively on what stage the condition is at and just how seriously it’s affected various other organs of the body. Should your puppy be young and it has a congenital defect, it could be surgically removed.

Living with a dog with heart disease

Coronary disease that appears later on in your dog’s life demands substantial life-style management and adjustments. These kinds of adjustments include things like keeping your dogs weight down, more physical exercise (or decreased activity dependant on your dog’s illness), special cardio diet programs, and particular medicines you can use to relieve the stress placed on your dog’s heart by his ailment.
The prospects with regard to dogs which have canine heart disease vary. Many dogs might be lucky enough to have profitable long-term treatment. Some could have a reduced life-span ranging from a couple weeks to several years . It is very important remember that the sooner your dog’s ailment is evaluated, the simpler it will be to take care of and also the probabilities will be higher that your dog or puppy will experience a lengthy, healthy life.