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only intervening when the disease progresses to irreversible heart failure.

The better approach is to do further
testing and evaluation at the first sign
of a murmur, including chest X-rays, an
electrocardiogram (EKG) and a cardiac ultrasound to classify the stage of the disease
and determine if conventional medications can help. Follow-up visits every six
months allow the doctor to identify the
point at which heart disease has progressed toward impending heart failure.

In general, pets with either a diseased or failing heart can benefit from
supplements. Individual regimens vary,
based on the nature of the patient’s case.

naturalpet

Cardiac Care for Pets
How to Keep Little Hearts Humming
by Dr. Shawn Messonnier

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ymptoms that suggest a dog or
cat’s heart is not pumping effectively include coughing and fatigue
from light exercise. Before the signs are
evident, it is far better to check for heart
disease during regular twice-yearly visits
to the veterinarian. Using a stethoscope,
a skilled doctor can pick up telltale heart
murmurs during the examination.

A fairly common problem with cats,
heart disease tends to occur as cardiomyopathy, an issue with the heart muscle.

In most dogs, where cardiomyopathy is
rare, it usually involves damaged heart
valves, resulting in “leaks” that allow
blood to flow in both directions.

Upon an initial diagnosis of heart
disease, one of two mistakes in treatment routinely occur: Either a doctor
prescribes strong cardiac medications
to “prevent” heart failure from happening (even though no medication has
been shown to prevent heart failure),
or he takes a wait-and-see approach,

Omega-3

Fish oil contains beneficial docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) unsaturated omega-3
fatty acids. The principle metabolites
derived from the metabolism of EPA
and DHA tend to be anti-inflammatory.

Contrariwise, omega-6 fatty acids,
which are found in warm-weather
vegetable oils, produce pro-inflammatory mediators. Because omega-6
and omega-3 fatty acids compete with
each other to be converted to active
metabolites (pro-inflammatory and
anti-inflammatory) in the body, decreasing the intake of omega-6 fatty acids
and/or increasing dietary omega-3 fatty
acid levels, available through fish oil,
is generally considered beneficial. The
differing numbers identifying omega-3

Is Your Pet Suffering from Chronic...
Is Your Pet Suffering from Chronic...
• Allergy & Skin Disease
• Behavior Problems
• Vomiting and/or Diarrhea • Advancing Age Problems
• Arthritis
• Urinary Tract Infections
Functional medicine may be the key to restoring your pet’s health. It combines
science with alternative medicine to uncover the root causes of chronic disease.

John B. Smith, D.V.M.
Office Hours by appointment

www.dogdoctor.us

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[phone]
Petcare Holistic Veterinary Center 1954 S. Industrial, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Greater Ann Arbor

www.a2namag.com