Saturday, November 16, 2013

Dog Heart Disease

By Jennefer Poultson


If your dog has a heart murmur, this is indicative that there is an abnormal amount of blood flow within your dog's heart. This can either be due to a change in the heart valves and their function or a variety of other potential reasons. There may be an abnormal communication between the left and the right side of the dog's heart and this can result in having a dog heart murmur. There may be numerous reasons for this. They may be either congenital or acquired. This means that the heart was affected after the dog was born due to disease or age. There are two distinct kinds of dog heart murmurs. The first is a benign heart murmur which is of no concern to your pup's health. However, it may be a serious heart murmur which may be indicative of congestive heart failure in dogs.

Dog heart murmur symptoms may involve the following: bluish tinge to the gums or tongue, poor exercise ability, coughing, labored breathing and even fainting. Some of these symptoms would suggest that your pup may have other health issues. However, the symptoms are similar between benign heart murmurs and those that are more severe in nature. If you are at all concerned about your canine's health, you should consult your veterinarian. A couple of these symptoms may be overlooked which would include poor exercise ability and a bluish tinge to the gums. If you think that your dog has any dog heart murmur symptoms, canine heart disease or the development of congestive heart failure, immediately contact your vet for a positive diagnosis.

There are certain symptoms that indicate your dog may have serious health problems. The best way to identify the source and severity of a dog's heart murmur is to have your dog thoroughly checked out by a veterinarian. However, additional testing may be necessary which may include a heart ultrasound, EKG, blood testing and chest x-rays. The ultrasound may be particularly beneficial because your veterinarian can measure the extent of your dog's heart murmur. It will define whatever the cause of the underlying heart disease may be. It is vitally important to have the cause of your dog's heart condition diagnosed because there are some cases where heart murmurs are treatable either by medication or surgery. Of course, you have to find out beforehand just how expensive various treatments may be so you won't be surprised by an abnormally high vet bill. You may be surprised at the prices some vets may charge.

If your canine has a congenital heart murmur, then surgery may be necessary. On the other hand, you may have to give your pooch certain types of medication as non-congenital heart murmurs are often an underlying symptom of congestive heart failure in dogs. You will not be sure exactly what to do until you have consulted with the right veterinarian and have been given advice as to your dog's health. You should not leave symptoms like these unchecked due to the fact that not every heart murmur is benign and there could be serious changes occurring in your dog's heart.

It is important to share any questions or concerns that you have with your veterinarian, especially when it comes to your dog's lifestyle and physical condition. If you do not feel comfortable with a diagnosis from your general veterinarian, consider seeking out an opinion from a veterinary cardiologist or internist, as these specialized veterinarians have special training and expertise in these and similar problems.




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