Cardiac Disease in Dogs
It is very helpful to understand the 3 different forms



Cardiac disease in dogs can be a life threatening issue for your best friend, however, this condition in both humans and pets, is a quite broad term.

There are many types of conditions that may exist, but cardiac disease is used to describe any condition that may affect the heart.

THE THREE DIFFERENT FORMS OF CARDIAC DISEASE IN DOGS

The conditions that affects the heart in your pets can range from very mild, such as a heart murmur, to severe, such as cardiac arrest.

Congenital cardiac disease simply means that your pet was born with the conditions that exist,

Acquired simply means that your pet develops some type of heart condition during the course of their lives.

There again are several prevalent cardiac diseases in dogs and cats as well.

This is a very serious subject and all conditions should be checked immediately by your veterinarian.

The heart is organ that is different than any other organ in the body.

It is the center point.

Wrinkles in dogsCardiac disease in dogs symptoms can range from mild to severe

It is very muscular and it consists of four distinctive chambers: A right and a left atrium and right and left ventricles.

Values are located between these two chambers to help the blood flow properly.

When the blood does not flow properly, several things, all of them not good, could happen.

Once this happens, the heart will start to malfunction.

This condition, which is also referred to as cardiomyopathy in dogs, are found in several forms.

They include canine dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and valvular diseases, of which there are several different types.

The first form of cardiac disease in dogs, is dilated cardiomyopathy.

This is very similar to the disease in cats, in that it affects the flaccidity of the heart muscles.

ALL DOGS CAN BE AFFECTED

With this form, the heart can’t pump properly, which may cause heart failure.

While many experts believe that this is a generic form of the disease, there are several breeds of dogs that have a high level of susceptibility, especially larger breeds of dogs.

Great Danes, Doberman Pincher, Irish Wolfhounds, and Boxers are the most at risk for this Cardiac disease in dogs.

However, Cocker Spaniels have also shown signs of this form of Cardiac disease in dogs.

The signs that your pet will show of this particular form will be difficulty in their breathing, sudden bouts of weakness, weight loss and fainting, distress in the abdominal parts, coughing, and even sudden death.

With Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, this form is caused by a thickening of the heart musculature.

This is a very rare disease in dogs, but can be quite severe.

Because of the thickening basically of the muscle in the heart, the heart grows smaller, which results in an inability of the heart to pump appropriate amounts of blood to the dog’s body.

SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENTS

This form can affect dogs of all ages and does not limit itself just to larger breeds, although as with most dog diseases of the heart, they are the most at risk.

Symptoms will vary in range and degrees of severity and can be mild and simply asymptomatic all the way to difficulty in breathing, coughing, and exertion in regular exercise, heart murmurs, and in the most severe cases, congestive heart failure.

Treatment for this form of This heart disease will be a lot of rest and low salt diets. Diuretics, and beta blockers, and even calcium blockers like diltiziam may also be used.

The final forms will come with valvular diseases.

The heart contains four valves, and valve dysfunctions can occur with either a congenital or an acquired (genetic) heart disease.

These forms can usually be found with cardiac murmurs.

There are two types of valvular disease, Endocardosis and Congenital Aortic Stenosis.

Endocardosis is the most common and is a degenerative disorder that affects the valve of the heart known as the mitral valve. Congenital Aortic Stenosis is a valvular disease that is caused by cardiomyopathy.

Vitamin and mineral supplements and low salt diets can help the symptoms of Cardiac disease in dogs and in some cases even help in prevention.

SUMMARY

However, these diseases are so serious, that you should do nothing without the advice of your veterinarian first.

There are, however, several health experts that agree that Vitamins A, C and E, all which are outstanding forms of anti-oxidants, that can help in the prevention of cardiac disease.

Pet Medications for Cardiac Disease in Dogs

Dog Vitamin Store

Congestive Heart Failure in Dogs