November 2005

Heart to Heart

Heart disease remains the UK’s most common cause of death in humans, but it isn’t only people that are affected.  It is also one of the major causes of death in dogs and approximately 10% of pets that visit a vet’s surgery are diagnosed with the condition.

Early detection, treatment and monitoring are key to improving the length and quality of your dog’s life and symptoms to watch out for include coughing (especially at night), a decrease in appetite and tiredness on walks.

One of the most common syndromes in dogs with cardiac disease is congestive heart failure (CHF).  This condition may be easily treated in the majority of cases with medication including an ACE inhibitor such as Vasotop®, which is licensed for use in dogs.  ACE inhibitors have been shown to reduce coughing, increase physical activity and the life expectancy of a dog with heart problems and they work by easing the load on the heart and reversing some of the damage caused by heart failure.  Humans with heart disease are also commonly prescribed ACE inhibitors to good effect.

If you think your dog may be suffering from a heart condition then it is important to contact us as soon as possible to arrange for a health check for your pet.

Facts about a dog’s heart

• On average a dog’s heart beats 144,000 times a day.
• A dog’s heart pumps 4,000 litres of blood a day.
• Blood really is thicker than water – in fact about three times thicker.
• The red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body of your dog are so small that it would take 70 billion of them to fill a teaspoon.
• Blood pumps around the body at less than 1mph.

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Data supplied by InterVet