Heart Failure in Dogs is a relatively common disorder that can affect animals of all ages, so keepers should be attentive to any symptom that may suggest that they suffer from insufficiency. It is very important to recognize these symptoms in order to go to the vet on time and not confuse them with other less serious he alth problems.
In this article on our site we are going to see how we can identify heart failure in dogs, as well as its general characteristics, symptoms, causes and treatment. Read on and find out more about it:
Heart Failure Overview
As we know, the heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. It is an organ made up of two lower chambers called ventricles and two slightly smaller upper chambers called atriaThe left and right sides of the heart are separated by a muscular wall. Four valves keep the blood flowing always in the same direction.
Problems in these valves can cause reflux of blood and produce alterations, as we will see. The valves are named mitral, aortic, tricuspid and pulmonaryIt is important to know this distinction since, depending on whether one side or the other is affected, the symptoms will be different.
In conclusion, we can define heart failure as the inability of the heart to circulate blood that meets the body's requirements. This alteration of cardiac function compromises the work of other organs such as the kidneys, liver or lungs. In dogs, when the heart begins to fail, compensation mechanisms are established that aim to replace the work that the heart is not doing. This is important because it will keep the dog asymptomatic for months and even years. That is why it will be decisive to go to the vet as soon as we detect the first symptom.
Heart failure in dogs has different causes:
- It is often caused by a chronic disease of the valves, in which degenerative changes occur. The mitral is usually the most affected. These alterations cause the valve to lose its functionality, affecting cardiac performance. There is backflow of blood and enlargement of the atrium.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy, which is an enlargement of the chambers of the heart and thinning of the walls of the ventricles.
- Filariosis, caused by parasites transmitted by mosquitoes, the filarias, which live on the right side of the heart, causing very serious complications such as pulmonary thromboembolism or liver failure, in addition to heart failure. They can be treated with dewormers and even surgery. The best treatment is prevention.
- Congenital heart disease, it can be so serious that dogs do not survive more than 1 year. Moderate problems allow survival, although with difficulties such as exercise intolerance or rickets. Instead, dogs with mild defects can even go unnoticed. These diseases include the following:
- Dysplasia (malformation) or stenosis (narrowing) in the valves.
- Septal defects, that is, abnormal communications between the chambers of the heart.
- Patent ductus arteriosus, which should be closed at birth, but in this case the communication between the aorta and the pulmonary artery persists.
- Tetralogy of Fallot: four abnormalities that cause blood to not be pumped with enough oxygen.
As we can see, puppies or older animals may be affected, with different symptoms, as we will detail in the following section.
Symptoms of heart failure
Heart failure in dogs can present the following characteristic symptoms, which are related to poor cardiac output:
- Murmurs, which are turbulences suffered by blood circulation as it passes through the heart. They can range from harmless to serious. Mitral insufficiency is one of its causes, with a murmur heard on auscultation to the left of the chest. If the affected valve is the tricuspid valve, the murmur will be heard on the right.
- Cough caused by the presence of liquid in the lungs, since there is a reflux of blood. Pulmonary edema may also occur. This cough may be more noticeable at night, when the dog is resting, or after exercise. It is typical of insufficiencies in the left ventricle. The cough will start out mild, and if the disease is allowed to progress without treatment, the episodes will become more frequent.
- Tiredness and lethargy that we will be able to identify as exercise intolerance. The dog with heart failure will reduce its usual activity, such as walks, games or jumps. He will get tired with minimal exercise
- Ascites (fluid in the stomach), when fluid seeps into the abdomen. It is characteristic of failure in the right ventricle. We will see that our dog has a swollen belly. Edema can also occur in the legs and fluid can accumulate in the chest (pleural effusion).
- Syncopes and faintingmay occur, which are related to arrhythmias and general weakness.
- The dog may also have cold and grayish mucous membranes due to poor oxygenation, heart rhythm disturbances or rapid breathing.
- Rapid weight loss.
- You should also know that myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) or hypothyroidism can be behind dilated cardiomyopathy.
Diagnosis of heart failure
If we notice any of the symptoms we have mentioned in our dog, we must Go to our veterinarian without delay At this point we must write down that in dogs over seven years old, annual veterinary check-ups consisting of, at a minimum, physical examination and blood tests are recommended.
By attending these appointments it is possible to detect he alth disorders that, otherwise, would go unnoticed as they do not show symptoms from their onset or are very little evident. They would be alterations such as the heart failure that concerns us, detectable with a simple auscultation. The early treatment of heart failure in dogs is going to be very important to achieve a better quality and life expectancy.
As we say, the vet is going to start with listening to our dog. Other tests such as the following may help to confirm the diagnosis of heart failure:
- Thoracic X-ray, which will allow us to see the size of the heart and the integrity of the lungs. It is normal for the cardiac silhouette to show an increase and for fluid to be seen in the lung.
- Cardiac ultrasound (echocardiogram), using Doppler, which will give us information about the flow of blood inside the heart, both its speed and its direction.
- ECG (electrocardiogram), to determine the functioning of the heart and its movements of systole and diastole.
- Sometimes the presence of heartworms should be sought.
- You can also measure blood pressure, do a urine test and, as we mentioned, blood. All this is going to give us important information, since the failure in cardiac activity is going to affect the entire organism and we can find damage to other organs. Therefore, the more data we collect, the more refined the treatment will be.
We must go to a veterinarian with experience in this type of disorders and who has the necessary material to carry out all the pertinent tests.
Heart failure treatment
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, and taking into account all the data, the veterinarian will classify our dog's heart failure according to the degree that corresponds to it based on its symptoms and severity. This categorization facilitates the establishment of treatment, which must be established immediately.
In general, the following measures are used:
- Medication, they will be pills that help maintain our dog's heart function.
- Other drugs such as diuretics can be used for cases with fluid accumulations.
- Dieta, as there are feeds and wet food specifically formulated for these dogs on the market. In general, they help maintain kidney function, which is the second system that is usually affected when the heart fails. They are foods low in s alt.
- Veterinary check-ups, very important to keep the disease under control and thus be able to adjust the medication if necessary. Therefore, it is also essential to go to a consultation if we observe any change or worsening in the clinical picture of our dog.
- Maintaining a good quality of life, providing the dog with all the necessary care and physical activity restricted to its condition, taking into account that exercise is beneficial for asymptomatic dogs but should be discontinued if symptoms appear during exercise.
- In cases of patent ductus arteriosus, surgery is recommended . Septal defects may also be candidates for surgical intervention.
The prognosis of heart failure in dogs is reserved and will depend on when the disease is diagnosed, the cardiac involvement, as well as the general he alth status of the dog and its age.
