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| Heart disease in dogs is not commonly diagnosed
unless one is regular with check-ups and also notices the
common symptoms like unnatural fatigue or tiredness during
normal exercise or acute breathlessness. Some dog heart diseases
can be treated by medication and some can be treated by surgery.
Medication could involve the treatment of the dog heart disease
or just the subsiding of pain and other symptoms which in
turn depends upon the disease and the severity of the conditions.
Dog heart diseases can be hereditary and congenital although
it may not be noticeable early in the dog’s life.
- Dog Heart Defects: The heart which is
the main organ responsible for pumping blood into the body
and into the lungs for purification can be defective from
birth or the defect could be acquired later. We have discussed
a few heart defects below.
- Atrial septal defect: In this congenital defect, the
wall or septum between the atria of the heart is not
fully closed thus allowing movement of blood between
the two which is dangerous as one side holds oxygenated
blood to be pumped into the entire body and the other
side holds oxygen deficient blood to be sent to the
lungs for oxygenation. Mixing of blood leads to diseases
and since the left ventricle has more pressure (to pump
blood to the entire body), blood moves into the right
side causing overload on the right side of the heart.
- Ventricular septal defect: Here the wall or septum
between the two ventricles is not fully unbroken resulting
in small or big channels which allow the blood to move
from one ventricle to the other. This is normally found
at the atrioventricular junction. This is mostly congenital
in which case it is sometimes outgrown as the heart
grows but can also be caused during heart attacks where
this septum is torn. This can lead to heart failure.
- Aortic stenosis: Here the aortic valve that lies between
the left ventricle and the aorta does not function as
required and thus hinders the flow of blood. This can
lead to heart diseases like cardiomyopathy or at worst
heart failure.
- Pulmnic stenosis: Here the pulmonic valve that lies
between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery
which carries blood to the lungs which results in lowered
oxygenation of blood. This condition is usually present
from birth and although diagnosed later in life it is
not an acquired condition.
- Heart valve dysplasia: Here the bicuspid, tricuspid,
aortic and pulmonary valves are affected. If the bicuspid
and tricuspid valves that separate the atria from the
ventricles are affected, they are seen as thick jagged
valves. This disease is usually congenital. The breeds
where bicuspid valve stenosis is commonly found are
Great Danes, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Bull
Terriers and Mastiffs while tricuspid valve dysplasia
is commonly found in German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador
Retrievers and Great Pyrenees.
- Patent ductus arteriosus: Here the duct that connected
the pulmonary artery to the aortic arch before birth
remains unclosed even after birth thus causing problems
in oxygenation of blood in the lungs since they are
underdeveloped. This results in a shortage of oxygen
required for the entire body and this condition if left
untreated, can even lead to heart failure.
- Dog Heart Diseases:
- Heart Murmur: If the valves in the heart are narrow
or leak or if there are abnormal channels through which
blood flows in or near the heart, an audible sound can
be heard. This dog heart disease is called Heart Murmur.
It sounds like a chaotic movement of liquid- varying
from a faint squeaky sound to a louder rumble. The murmur
will vary in intensity, configuration, quality, duration
and the timing relative to the normal heart cycle. It
is best to get this heart disease in dogs investigated
although sometimes it could be harmless.
- Bicuspid Valve malfunction: The bicuspid valve allows
blood to flow from the left atria into the left ventricle
during atrial contraction and then prevents the blood
from coming back into the atria by closing the channel
during ventricular contraction. If this valve malfunctions,
there can be a backflow, which is called the mitral
valve disease, a dog heart disease that also produces
a murmuring sound.
- Cardiomyopathy: This heart disease affects the muscles
of the heart. The most common among these dog heart
diseases is dilated cardiomyopathy where due to the
muscle of the heart being affected, the ventricles cannot
contract properly resulting in a change in the structure
of the heart. Certain inhibitors and diuretics is the
medication prescribed. This disease is hereditary and
found more commonly in certain breeds like Great Danes,
Boxers and St Bernards.
- Heart failure: Heart disease leading to heart failure
can be due to infections, malfunction in valves, veins
or arteries or due to a problem with the muscles of
the heart. This condition can be hereditary but can
also be caused or aggravated by too less or too much
exercise, wrong diet or old age.
- Hemolytic anemia: When red blood corpuscles degenerate
within or outside the blood vessels instead of only within
the spleen and when the spleen breaks down red blood vessels
over the required limits, the resultant condition is called
hemolytic anemia. This can be an inherited condition where
the red blood corpuscle’ membrane is defective or
the hemoglobin is defective or where there is defective
enzyme production which affects metabolism in the red blood
corpuscle. This can also be induced by certain antibodies
generated naturally by the body which can be against diseases
or even against any blood given through transfusion, certain
medicines and drugs, certain venoms, trauma, infections
and other diseases that lead to this condition.
- Platelet disorders: Here the platelets which are formed
in the bone marrow and degenerated in the spleen are either
above the normal requirement or below the normal requirement.
Platelets are required for clotting of blood. If these are
below the normal production it hampers the formation of
blood clots which leads to continued bleeding. If they are
above normal, they can cause clots within the blood stream.
This condition could be hereditary or could be caused by
other disorders.
- Splenic Disorders: Since the spleen is responsible to
break down red blood cells, any disorder will affect the
composition of blood. This disorder could be caused by infections,
functional abnormality in the various cells present in the
blood or in any hampering in the blood flow.
- Pericardial effusion: Here the fluid within the pericardium
space increases due to some structural abnormality or due
to a disturbed equilibrium between the production and re-absorption
of the fluid. This increases the pressure within the pericardial
cavity which puts pressure on the heart which then affects
normal heart functioning.
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