What is a veterinary cardiologist?
A veterinary cardiologist is a board-certified veterinarian in cardiology, which means that a general practitioner has gone to school for more years and passed a specialized cardiology test.
Dr. Nichola Gaither
Animal Hospital of Statesville
What are some signs and symptoms of a cardiovascular condition in a dog?
The signs and symptoms can vary. Some of those symptoms can be shortness of breath, coughing, especially a progressive cough, even collapse, and they can also have swelling of the abdomen.
Can they exercise normally?
Many times, dogs with cardiovascular conditions have decreased exercise abilities.
How soon should I bring my dog in to see a veterinarian if I suspect that they have heart disease?
The sooner, the better.
How will a veterinarian diagnose cardiovascular disease in my dog?
If you suspect that your dog has a heart condition, we'll start with a full physical exam, we'll listen to the heart with our stethoscope, and we will also feel for the dog’s pulse. We can do some specialized tests like x-rays and an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart.
Why is early detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in dogs so important?
It's important because the heart's essential, and we want to keep the dog healthy, and so we want to make sure that the heart is healthy. When we diagnose early, we can start medications to help slow down the progression of heart disease.
What types of preventive care can we do to help our dogs avoid cardiovascular disease?
Good question. If we diagnose heart disease, there are certain medications that we can place the dog on that can slow down that progression. Good physical exercise, exercising your pet regularly, and keeping them at an ideal weight are also essential.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (704) 872-3625, you can email us, or you can reach out on Facebook. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can.
Dog Cardiology - FAQs
Dr. Nichola Gaither
Animal Hospital of Statesville
How do I know if my dog has heart issues? What are the symptoms or signs?
Some of those symptoms may be that your pet has shortness of breath, or they may have a progressive cough. Sometimes they'll even just collapse, or they'll be weak when they're exercising.
How are heart murmurs in dogs diagnosed?
The primary way we hear them is with our stethoscope, and then we can do a test with an echocardiogram to figure out why that murmur is present.
What does an echocardiogram show that an x-ray doesn't?
The echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. An x-ray is a two-dimensional view or picture of the heart or of the chest. In contrast, the echocardiogram is a more specialized view of the heart; it can detect the heart's motion and look at chamber sizes and blood flow through the heart.
What is the prognosis for a dog with heart issues?
It can vary, depending on the cause of heart disease. But we can treat dog heart issues with medication similar to what you and I use.
What is a board-certified cardiologist?
A board-certified cardiologist is a veterinarian that is specialized in cardiology. So they have gone to school a few extra years, and they have passed a test that certifies them in that specialty.
Are you a board-certified cardiologist, or how did you get your start?
Good question. I'm not a board-certified cardiologist, but I have a particular interest in cardiology, and I have taken several continuing education classes to learn more about it. And we do provide limited echocardiograms here at our clinic. Unfortunately, there are not many cardiologists in our immediate area, and a lot of times, they are booked well in advance.
Do I need a cardiologist to diagnose the heart condition in my dog?
We do rely on our board-certified cardiologists, and we offer that referral. But we can detect many problems, and by doing the limited echos here, we can provide a lot of information on why the pet has heart disease, what type of heart disease, and start the medication to help improve that quality of life.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (704) 872-3625, you can email us, or you can reach out on Facebook. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can.
Dog Cardiology - FAQs 2
Dr. Nichola Gaither
Animal Hospital of Statesville
What are the most common heart diseases in dogs?
Good question. The most common heart disease is broken apart into the type of dog. So our smaller breeds traditionally have mitral valve disease, which is a valve on the left side of the heart. And some of our larger breeds can have various problems, such as chamber enlargement or other conditions like that.
What is a dog heart murmur?
A dog heart murmur is turbulent flow. The heart is just a big pump, so the heart should pump blood in one direction. And whenever there is abnormal blood flow or blood flow in two different directions, you hear that in the stethoscope. And that is what a heart murmur is.
What is dog cardiomyopathy?
Cardiomyopathy is a condition of the heart muscle.
Can diet affect my dog's heart health?
That's a great question. Recently, studies show that feeding your dog a grain-free diet can cause problems and lead to heart disease, whereas that pet would have not previously been susceptible to that.
What is an enlarged heart in dogs?
Good question. An enlarged heart is, to put it simply, a big heart, but the big heart can be due to various reasons, and finding out that reason is important because it could weigh in on different prognoses. So it could either be an enlarged chamber of the heart or an enlargement around the heart.
How do you treat an enlarged heart?
If it is an enlarged chamber, we may put them on medication to help that heart squeeze better. If it were due to an enlargement around the heart, such as pericardial effusion, we could run specialized tests to relieve that pressure.
What is heart failure in dogs?
Heart failure is simply when the heart fails to work appropriately. So the heart is just a big pump that pumps blood from the body back into the lungs, where it's oxygenated, and then back into the heart, where the heart pumps it back into the body, where we can use it again. And so congestive heart failure occurs when that blood does not flow appropriately.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (704) 872-3625, you can email us, or you can reach out on Facebook. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can.