![]() In addition, because the heart is not pumping effectively, these dogs can develop profound weakness, lethargy, exercise intolerance and fainting. Signs of congestive heart failure include cough (especially a cough at rest), a fast breathing rate, difficulty breathing, fainting, weakness, lethargy, exercise intolerance and/or abdominal distension. This is known as congestive heart failure. When the ventricle is unable to pump blood to the body, fluid goes from the heart backwards into the lungs (instead of from the heart forward to the body). Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the pumping chamber (ventricle) of the heart where the muscle becomes weakened and the contraction of the heart is decreased. Heart murmurs in these dogs may indicate that they have a disease called dilated cardiomyopathy (with a subsequent leaky mitral valve). Bernard, Newfoundland, Cocker Spaniel, Dalmatian or Portuguese Water Dog): If you have a middle-aged to older large breed dog (especially a Doberman Pinscher, Irish Wolfhound, Great Dane, Boxer, St. Some dogs can do well with these medications for 1-2 years. If congestive heart failure is present, oral medications can be prescribed to help maintain a good quality of life. The presence or absence of congestive heart failure is diagnosed by X-ray of the chest. Signs of congestive heart failure include cough (especially a cough at rest), a fast breathing rate (especially at rest), difficulty breathing, fainting, weakness, lethargy, exercise intolerance and/or abdominal distension.Ī cardiologist can perform an echocardiogram and determine the stage of chronic valve disease present. Congestive heart failure means that the leak across the heart valve overwhelms the heart and fluid goes from the heart backwards into the lungs (instead of from the heart forward to the body). If the disease becomes severe, the dog is at risk for developing congestive heart failure. The disease is slowly progressive in most cases and the leak will continue to worsen over months to years. Mild chronic valve disease that leads to small leaks across the mitral valve usually does not create a problem for a dog. We refer to this disease as chronic valve disease, endocardiosis or degenerative mitral valve disease. This valve degenerates as dogs age and when it does, the older valve allows blood to leak backwards. The mitral valve’s job is to allow blood to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle but not allow blood to flow backward from the left ventricle to the left atrium. Heart murmurs in these dogs may indicate that these dogs have a leaky mitral valve (the heart valve in between the left atrium and left ventricle). Depending on the disease present, some congenital diseases can be fixed or made better with an interventional catheter procedure, traditional surgery, or administration of cardiac medications. The cardiologist will perform an echocardiogram as well as other tests (EKG, blood pressure, etc.) to assess the heart and determine if congenital heart disease is present. This may indicate that congenital (present at birth) heart disease is present. Loud heart murmurs (Grade 3-4/6 to 6/6) in a new puppy or kitty and soft heart murmurs that persist beyond 14-16 weeks of age should be evaluated by a cardiologist. They are soft and usually go away by 14 weeks of age. ![]() These types of murmurs are called “innocent” murmurs. Soft heart murmurs (grade 1/6 to 2-3/6) can occur in young animals and are of no consequence to them. In some instances, the louder the murmur, the more significant the abnormality within the heart. Your veterinarian will grade the heart murmur out of 6, with 6/6 being the loudest murmur. An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) is a non-invasive test that is performed to determine the cause of the murmur. It can also occur when blood flows very fast across normal structures (such as when an animal is excited). Abnormal turbulent blood flow can occur when blood passes across abnormal heart valves or across abnormal structures within the heart. It is caused by abnormal turbulent blood flow. A heart murmur is an abnormal heart sound that is heard when listening to the heart with a stethoscope.
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