The heart: Pumping life into your dog’s body
As with any mammal, your dog’s heart and entire cardiovascular system are central to their survival. They determine certain vital signs like:
- Blood flow
- Diastolic and systolic pressure
Basically, all bodily functions rely on the cardiovascular system, which circulates blood, delivering oxygen and nutrients to all cells in the body. That’s true for your dog, but also many other living beings, including you!
Finding out that your dog has heart disease can be very upsetting. But don’t despair. Your dog can still live a good life despite having a cardiovascular condition.
Unfortunately, treatment won’t cure your dog’s failing heart, but you can reduce the impact the disease has on their life with the right care for their specific problem.
Is your dog at risk of developing a heart problem? Heart disease strikes about 10% of dogs. Most dogs aren’t born with it but develop it at some point in their lifetime.
There are 2 main types of heart disease in dogs:
- Degenerative valve disease (DVD)—the most common being mitral valve disease (MVD)
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
DVD is the most common type of heart disease in dogs, representing 80% of all canine heart conditions, versus 5% to 10% for DCM.
DVD primarily affects small to medium sized dogs, with a strong genetic predisposition in breeds like:
- Cocker Spaniels
- Dachshunds
- Beagles
- Chihuahuas
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
DCM, on the other hand, is much more common in large dogs, with breeds like boxers and Doberman pinschers more genetically predisposed.
How can you tell if your dog has heart disease? Symptoms may include:
- A severe cough that sometimes causes gagging
- Difficulty breathing and shortness of breath
- Exercise intolerance
- Visible weight gain or loss
- A swollen abdomen
Since these symptoms are fairly common, your vet can narrow down the diagnosis through:
- Listening to your dog’s heart and lungs with a stethoscope
- This can reveal:
- Heart murmurs (other abnormal sounds audible with the heartbeat)
- Fluid in the lungs
- Heart ultrasound
- Ultrasound imaging can help detect changes in the:
- Muscle
- Ventricles
- Auricles
- Heart valves
- Heart X-rays
- X-ray imaging can reveal an increase in heart volume
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- This test can detect:
- An enlarged heart
- An arrhythmia, i.e., irregular heartbeat
- Blood and urine tests
- These tests may reveal:
- Dirofilaria immitis (dog heartworm disease)
- The condition of other internal organs
- Tests to measure cardiac biomarkers
- These tests are used for early detection of heart disease
Although a change in diet is usually not enough to treat heart disease, special nutrition therapy can help:
- Slow the progression
- Minimize the need for medication
- Improve their quality of life