Congestive Heart Failure In Pets That You Need To Know About

Degenerative valve disease (DVD) and congestive heart failure (CHF) are not just something that we have to deal with – our dogs can develop these too.

Some sources say that up to 60% of small breed dogs will develop these concerns. Testing can be done to find out why the heart is not pumping enough blood to oxygenate the entire body and there could be a treatment. Dogs that have uncomplicated CHF caused by degenerative valve disease can be treated with some medications.

As your dog ages, their mitral valve starts to leak, which means it isn’t closing all the way when the heart beats and pushes the blood from one side to the other – so, a leaky valve means that some of the blood will go backward into the ventricle.

Your veterinarian can usually hear this backward flow as a heart murmur, but not all heart murmurs are going to cause heart failure. Anemia can cause a heart murmur too. In the early stages, a heart murmur in a dog will not be treated, but their heart should be monitored regularly, and medication may be able to help when/if your dog has trouble exercising and may start to have difficulty breathing.

Sadly, CHF is not curable. But if detected early, your pet can live a long and healthy life with regular exams and medications. One important factor is to watch salt intake. Heart patients need to have a low sodium intake, so read labels carefully. Omega-3 supplements and keeping stress low will help your pet too.

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