Cardiac Monitoring for Pets, Howell Animal Hospital

Cardiac Workup Monitoring

Cardiac cases are very common nowadays in veterinary medicine due to the improvement in diagnosis. There are veterinary cardiologists like in human medicine, so the cardiac patients have similar needs.

The most common signs of heart diseases are coughing, exercise intolerance (tired after walk or running), heavy breathing and panting excessively (especially at night). Sometimes the pet will pass out in severe cases.

Almost the same symptoms can be confused with lower pulmonary diseases, so it’s very important to differentiate between the heart disease cases and the lung disease cases.

Diagnostics can include:

Blood work, blood pressure, radiographs (x-rays), and ECG (electrocardiogram) and echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to measure the heart size, heart chamber, inside valves and the great blood vessels.

Ninety percent of the heart cases can be managed by medication and a recheck is recommended every four to six months. The success of the treatment depends on the commitment to administer the medication and early detection.

**If you think your dog has any of these symptoms please schedule your appointment as early as possible. Please prepare for a lengthy visit, as these diagnostics take time to perform.