This article does not cover the subject of canine congestive cardiac failure in depth but is designed as a concise guide to cover the important points related to this disease at a glance, as such it may be of use to the owner of a dog which has been newly diagnosed with this condition. The above photo is of a King Charles, hopefully a healthy happy dog but heart problems are known to be common in this breed.
Dogs of any age and any breed can develop heart failure at any point in their lives but there is certainly some breed and age predispositions. For example very large breeds such as Wolfhounds are prone to cardiomyopathy and develop enlarged hearts. Breeds like the King Charles are very prone to diseases of the heart valves, this is called endocardosis, and of course normally heart diseases set in as the animal gets older, they are often seen in animals of the older age group. So how would you define congestive heart failure in general terms? Basically the heart is a pump and anything which can cause problems in it’s structure or function may make it so inefficient that we then say it is in heart failure. The congestive terminology will apply when normal amounts of blood cannot be pumped to meet the bodies needs and this then leads to fluid accumulating in the lungs and elsewhere in the body.
.There are many causes of heart failure in dogs, including :
A. Congenital heart defects.
B. Degeneration of the valves of the heart, this is a very common form of heart disease in the dog.
C. Diseases of the heart muscle, cardiomyopathies.
D. Heartworm in some parts of the world.
E. Diseases of the pericardium such as pericarditis.
F. Arrhythmias, problems with the electrical rhythms of the heart.
.If you suspect your dog has this disease what symptoms might you see? While this is not an exhaustive list you should be looking for some or all of the following :
1. Coughing
2. Exercise intolerance.
3. Laboured breathing after minimal exercise or at rest.
4. Weight loss
5. Lethargy.
6. Fluid build up in the abdomen which could give your dog a distended stomach.
.Your vet may suspect after examining your pet, but he or she will probably run several diagnostic tests to confirm the diagnosis and underlying cause. Tests may include:
A. A good clinical examination, history taking and listening to the heart with a stethoscope.
B. chest X-rays
C. Running an electrocardiogram (ECG)
D Ultrasound scans of the heart and chest. (echocardiogram }
.How is this disease treated ? There is very rarely a surgical option other than thoracocentesis which is where a needle is inserted into the thorax and fluid drained off, this can help short term. That being the case we have to rely on medications of various classes. While these will very likely not effect a cure they can make affected dogs much more comfortable sometimes for long periods of time. The correct drug to be prescribed depends of course on the individual heart disease but the following are commonly used.
A. Drugs such as diuretics for example frusemide.
B. Drugs such as enalapril or benazepril.
C. Drugs such as Digoxin
D. Special diets
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