Dog Heart Attack Symptoms

Owning a dog is a joyous, wonderful experience. However, it brings a lot of responsibilities to the dog owner. You should be very careful about its health as it may suffer from a number of health problems. Generally, sickness in dogs is associated with certain viral or bacterial infections, immune abnormalities, degenerative conditions, metabolic disorders or genetic factors. Some common diseases found in dogs are skin allergies and infections, food allergy and poisoning, renal problems, ear infection, digestive problems, obesity, diabetes, worm infestation and heart failure.

Heart Attack in Dog

Many dogs suffer from various heart diseases. The three major types of heart diseases found in dogs are heart murmur, enlarged heart and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The reasons for heart attack in dogs are similar to those of humans. Old age, diabetes and obesity are the main causes of heart attack in dogs. In young dogs, heart failure results from congenital abnormalities. While in case of older dogs, it is due to altered circulatory patterns. If the coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed due to hardened plaques of fats, then it prevents the blood flow to the myocardium. It results in myocardial infarction. Obese or diabetic dogs are at greater risk for coronary artery blockage. Dogs mostly suffer from a weakening of heart muscles, resulting in congestive heart failure.

Causes of Heart Attack in Dogs

Some most common causes of congestive heart failure in dogs include heartworm, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart defects, arrhythmia, degeneration of heart valves and inflammation of pericardium. Large breeds of dogs are more prone to heart disease than the smaller breeds. Some dog breeds such as Great Danes, Boxers, Dobermans, Scottish Deerhounds and Irish Wolfhounds are genetically more prone to this disease.

Dog Heart Attack Symptoms

Your dog is not able to explain the symptoms of its illness. Hence, it’s your responsibility to understand the symptoms of dog’s illness and get it treated immediately. When a dog has a heart attack, it experiences pain in the center of the chest, difficulty in breathing, sweating and pain in fore limbs. The dog tries to stretch and crane its neck sideways. There may be signs of unconsciousness such as drowsy eyes.

There are two types of congestive heart failure (CHF) in dogs such as right-sided CHF and left-sided CHF. Some of the common symptoms of left-sided CHF are rapid breathing, coughing, intolerance to exercise, difficulty in breathing and fainting. If the dog suffers from right-sided CHF, then the symptoms are swollen abdomen due to fluid buildup, difficulty in breathing, intolerance for exercising, coughing and swelling of the limbs. If anytime you notice that your dog appears depressed, it displays consistent fatigue, constant coughing and body swelling, or difficulty in breathing, then it indicates the possibility of heart failure. You should immediately consult the veterinarian to seek an appropriate treatment.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Attack in Dogs

The veterinarian makes the diagnosis of congestive heart failure in dogs by checking its heartbeats using a stethoscope. Other procedures to diagnose the heart failure are measuring blood pressure, X-ray, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram.

Depending upon the causes of heart failure, the treatment plan is decided. The dog is hospitalized to stabilize its condition. Thoracocentesis is done to remove the accumulated fluid from the lungs. The dog is treated with nitroglycerine paste, digoxin and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor drugs. The dog is fed with low sodium diet and nutritional supplements.