Canine Congestive Heart Failure
The heart is one of the organs that frequently fails in dogs. Many dogs that are examined have some form of heart disease. Canine congestive heart failure is a major threat to your dog’s health.
Cause
Canine congestive heart failure is caused by an abnormality in the function or structure of the heart. There are two forms of this condition. In one of the forms, the walls of chambers in the heart thicken which leads to a decrease in pumping efficiency.
In the other form of canine congestive heart failure, the muscles that make up the walls stretch thinner causing the size of the heart to increase. As it enlarges, the left side of the heart loses its ability to pump blood efficiently. The heart works harder to compensate for this, but eventually this no longer works and the dog experiences heart failure.
Symptoms
Many dogs with canine congestive heart failure do not show symptoms in the early stages because their bodies can compensate for months or years. In the later stages, the dog will begin to show symptoms such as drooling more than usual and tiring easily. Some dogs may even collapse after exercising or pant and cough heavily even when they’re resting. Other symptoms of canine congestive heart failure include a blueish tongue and grayish membranes of the mouth.
Diagnosis
Many veterinarians diagnose canine congestive heart failure with electrocardiograms to detect heart abnormalities. An ultrasound may also be useful to show the enlarged size of the heart. A chest x-ray will also be useful in diagnosis canine congestive heart failure.
Treatment
Treatment of canine congestive heart failure involves restricted exercise, low-sodium diets, and diuretics. Medications such as digitalis will increase the amount of calcium in the heart muscles which will slow the heart rate and increase the efficiency of the heart’s ability to pump blood. The diuretics are given to get rid of the buildup of fluids in the abdomen and lungs due to the sluggish blood flow. Dogs with canine congestive heart failure will also be given ACE inhibitors to tighten the blood vessels so that blood is able to flow smoothly giving the heart the chance to pump blood more efficiently.
Prognosis
As stated earlier, dogs in the early stages of canine congestive heart failure will show no symptoms. By the time the dog starts to show symptoms, the condition will be in the later stages. Dogs in the later stages of canine congestive heart failure rarely live longer than a year. Many dogs will die within six months of diagnosis.
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