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Did you know that March is Roseland Animal Care Cardiac Month? We are offering a 10% discount on heart
evaluation testing.
Ten-percent of all dogs and
cats will develop heart disease during their lifetime. Diagnosed early, most pets continue to enjoy
a normal lifestyle. Just like humans, the heart of your pet is often the first thing that
wears out. Like all mammals, dogs and
cats have a four-chambered heart. It
consists of a left and right upper chambered atrium and a left and right lower
chambered ventricle. The left and right
atria receive blood from the lungs and body respectively. The left ventricle is
responsible for pumping oxygen-rich blood from the lungs out through the aorta
into the body, while the right ventricle pumps the blood through the pulmonary
artery to the lungs for oxygen.
A thorough
physical exam, including listening to the heart and lungs with a
stethoscope, is how our veterinarians determine that heart disease may be
present in your dog or cat. Listening
with a stethoscope allows us to identify murmurs (abnormal flow of blood within
the heart producing varying frequencies of sounds), detect abnormal heart
rhythms and evaluate lung sounds. Because
of the limitations of the human ear, some heart murmurs may be heard while some
murmurs are of such low frequency may not be audible. Therefore; in many cases, murmurs that are
very faint can't be confirmed without further testing. If
your veterinarian is suspicious that your dog might have a heart problem, the
first test we traditionally do is an x-ray.
Chest
radiographs allow us to
examine the lungs and measure the size and shape of the heart. If the
x-ray shows an enlarged heart, our veterinarians may perform an echocardiograph
(Doppler ultrasound) to see the heart perform in real time. This ultrasound
examination (echocardiogram) gives the most accurate determination of each heart chamber’s size and
thickness of the heart walls.
Measurements of the heart contractions can be taken to evaluate the
heart’s pumping efficiency.
In dogs, the valves are often the first
heart structures that are affected. Heart disease in cats usually involves the
entire heart muscle and not just the valves. We are often unaware that our dog
or cat has a heart problem until its heart is well on its way to failing. The
first sign that most owners notice is a cough.
This is because enlarged, failing hearts allow fluid to back up into the
lungs and also press on the wind pipe. Other signs you may notice in your pet
are tiredness, rapid breathing, poor appetite, an enlarged belly, pale or
bluish gums, and a rapid, weak pulse. Fainting is less common.
In all cases of heart disease in
dogs and cats, as the circulatory system fails, the kidneys liver and all other
organs are flooded with stagnant blood and work inefficiently. This is because
they do not get the oxygen they need. The
rhythm of a weakened heart also changes.
If an abnormal rhythm or heart rate is evident, our veterinarians may
recommend an electrocardiogram
(ECG).
This allows us to accurately determine the heart rate and diagnose any
abnormal rhythm.
If it is unclear if the heart is enlarged
or if the heart is even the source of your pet's problems, a pro BNP blood test might be ordered. This test
measures the circulating levels of NTproBNP hormones that are released by the
heart muscle wall (myocardium) in response to abnormal, increased stretch. This test is especially useful in cats when we are
not sure if the cat has a lung problem, asthma or a heart problem.
The combination of many of these tests
gives us our best evaluation of heart function.
Our veterinarians will guide you through the diagnostic and treatment
process to ensure that your pet receives the highest standard of care to
achieve an acceptable quality of life and increase the length of your pet’s
life.
It has been noted that your pet has been recommended
to participate in our 10% discounted cardiac evaluation. Please call to schedule your pet’s specific
cardiac exam and recommended testing.
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