blockers, calcium and sodium channel
blockers etc) or surgical depending upon
the disease. Th ere have to be some dietary
modifi cations made;commercially available
cardiac dog food may be started. Conditions
which induce stress or increase the anxiety
levels may be avoided.
Measuring the respiratory rate at rest may
also be done for monitoring at home.
Time to time re-evaluation is required to
make any changes in the treatment regime
depending upon the response to therapy.
How can you prevent
heart disease in dogs-
A lot of cardiac diseases in dogs have
a genetic predisposition, hence a good
knowledge about the breed and the cardiac
disease it may be predisposed to would
help in a early and timely diagnosis.
Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, great
danes and saint bernards have a genetic
predisposition to dilated cardiomyopathy
whereas many of the small breed dogs
like Dachshunds and Cavalier King
Charles Spaniels are predisposed to mitral
valve disease. Bull dogs are predisposed
to pulmonic valvular stenosis. Boxers
are prone to ARVC(arrhythmic right
ventricular cardiomyopathy)
Routine general checkups and blood tests
may be helpful in ruling out any non-
cardiac disease which may be aff ecting the
heart. Many of the endocrinal disorders
aff ect the heart indirectly, for example
hypothyroidism aff ects the pumping
capability of the heart.
Obesity can also be detrimental for cardiac
health, hence proper weight management is
essential for cardiac well being.
A well balanced diet is also very important
for proper functioning of the heart. Taurine
defi ciency related dilated cardiomyopathy
has been documented in cocker spaniels.
Maintaining proper oral hygiene is also very
important for heart functioning. Th e germs
can travel from the mouth to the valve
leafl ets and can damage the structure of
the valve(infective endocarditis) if the oral
hygiene is poor. Hence, it is important to
get routine dental checks and timely dental
cleaning done.
Routine checkup from a veterinarian is
important, a proper auscultation of the
chest can give us an indication for a possible
underlying heart disease.
*European Master(Medicine/Car-
diology), Practicing veterinarian at
Max Vets, New Delhi.