by Alvin Febrianth, DRH
The
heart has a very important role in the body as it works to pump blood all
around the body. All organs in the body also need a blood supply from the heart
to be able to work normally. If there is a problem with the heart, the blood
flow from the heart to the rest of the body cannot be optimal because the heart
ability to pump blood is decrease. Therefore we better understand more about
heart disease, especially clinical symptoms and signs that often appear.
We must know the difference
between Heart Disease and Heart Failure. Heart disease can be caused due to the
aging that affects the structure of the heart (such as heart valves) and the
heart muscle becomes malformed. Other causes because there are developmental
abnormalities of the heart organ so that the structure of the heart and blood
vessels become abnormal from birth.
Heart failure, also often referred to as congestive heart failure or
CHF, is the end result of any type of heart disease. Dogs and cats that suffer
from heart disease may eventually suffer from congestive heart failure if the
disease within the heart results in an inability of the heart to function
normally. When the heart is unable to pump blood effectively to other areas of
the body, congestive heart failure results. Unlike the heart attack, where
blood supply to the heart suddenly stopped or cut off. Because the heart is the engine that transports
oxygen throughout the body, congestive heart failure ultimately affects other
organs as well.
Animals can
suffer from heart disease without show any signs of heart failure. But if the
animal is already experiencing heart failure, there is also a big possibility
that they have heart disease. Some of the animals are suffering from heart
disease can live without showing any symptoms. But in some time that heart
disease will worsen, symptoms will begin to appear slowly or even be
instantaneous. For that we need to understand the symptoms that lead to heart
disease.
Cough is the most common symptom of
heart disease although several other diseases are also showing clinical
symptoms such as coughing. The cough may be a dry hacking cough that sounds
like your pet gags after coughing. Some describe it as if their pet is “trying
to hack up a hairball” at the end of the coughing spell. A mild cough is
usually normal and does not often appear. But if a cough is still more than
three days and frequently appears, can lead to diseases including heart
disease.
A change in breathing is a symptom
of heart disease. Visible changes usually are difficulty breathing or shortness
of breath, and breathing becomes faster although it is not doing excessive
exercise. Indeed, for the symptoms of this one is very difficult for us to
examine, especially in dogs. But if we often observe our dogs, then this breathing
change can be seen.
Changes in behavior usually occur in
dogs suffering from heart disease. Changes in behavior that looks generally
dogs become easily tired, being less playful, reluctance to exercise,
reluctance to accept affection, being withdrawn, or an appearance of
depression, these are all signs of heart disease. If you take your dog out for
his usual walk and you notice that he does not want to walk the usual mile, this
may mean he is tiring sooner than he used to.
Accumulation of fluid in the
abdominal cavity is also one of the symptoms of heart disease. The weakening of
the heart muscle in heart disease causes interruption of blood flow throughout
the body, resulting in the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. The
presences of fluid in the chest cavity also become one of the symptoms of heart
disease. Because the heart cannot pump blood normally, then the blood can
accumulate in the lungs and other organs. The presence of high blood pressure
in blood vessels (veins) causes fluid leak in to the lungs. This causes
coughing in dogs due to heart disease.
Poor appetite or even not eating at
all can be a sign that your dog is sick. Not only is heart disease that causes
loss of appetite, almost all diseases lead to poor appetite. These symptoms can
be guessed lead to heart disease if our dog would not eat but there is
enlargement in the abdomen due to fluid buildup. This sometimes makes the
owners are confused because the dog would not eat, but his stomach getting bigger.
Supposedly if a reduced appetite will lead to weight loss, but because of the
buildup of fluid, there will be weight gain.
Other symptoms often makes us panic
is our dog suddenly collapsed or fainted. These symptoms usually appear
suddenly after our dog had excessive exercise. Or even our dog was just
standing or walking for a while and then collapsed and looked like a seizure.
There are several symptoms like this could have lasted longer and caused the death,
but some are also suddenly collapsed but not too long then back to normal again.
The symptoms mentioned above that
lead to heart disease. If these symptoms appear not be in hurry diagnose your
dog suffering from heart disease. Immediately take it to the vet and consult
when symptoms above appear. The vet will conduct further tests to make sure the
symptoms are a sign of heart disease or not. Since many other diseases have
symptoms similar to heart disease.
Dogs or cats that suffer from heart
disease require special care and monitoring at home. Appropriate treatment can
delay the onset of heart failure. Special monitoring can help us to observe
changes in the conditions if it gets worse. Ideally, if your dog or cat
suffering from heart disease should be given a cozy place. Do not leave them in
place with hot temperatures or in outdoors exposed to direct sunlight for a
long time. Do not force them too often to have activities such as playing or
exercise. Always provide drinking water for them. Do not ever give or
prescription medications without the advice of a veterinarian. Follow the rules
and instructions for use of the drug on the advice of a veterinarian.
A
special diet may be recommended for your dog or cat if heart disease has been
diagnosed. A diet low in sodium is usually advisable. Avoid treats and other
foods that have a high salt content. Some dogs cannot metabolize the amino acid
L-carnitine and taurine efficiently. This amino acid is needed to keep the
heart muscle healthy. So the lack of amino acids such as these in the diet can
lead to heart disease. Now many feed specially formulated to help maintain
heart health recommended by veterinarians. Consult a veterinarian for a special
feed which will be given to our dog or cat when they suffering from heart
disease.
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