If you ask people the common signs of heart disease, most of them will say collapse, exercise intolerance, and swollen limbs...etc. Yes, indeed, those signs could be the signs of heart disease, but we saw more coughing and breathing difficulty than those clinical signs in Hong Kong instead (don’t neglect cough, and it could be fatal). First, we should know the difference between heart disease and heart failure. Pets with heart disease doesn’t mean they have heart failure. However, pets with heart failure means they really have underlying heart disease.
Heart disease can be defined as any abnormality of the heart. It encompasses a wide range of condition, including congenital abnormalities, and disorders of physical structure, function, or electrical activity. Heart failure is a condition that the heart fails to pump enough blood to meet body’s needs. And this will result in abnormal accumulation of fluid, decreased blood flow to the body, and/or abnormally low blood pressure.
Signs associated with heart failure are due either to inadequate blood flow through the organs (exercise intolerance, weakness, and fainting) or to fluid to leak from blood vessels into tissues (cough, distended abdomen, and shortness of breath). When there is not enough oxygen in the blood, the mucus membranes develop a blue tinge.
As previously mentioned, heart disease doesn’t inevitably lead to heart failure. In contrast, heart disease usually are silent (means they don’t show any clinical signs) in the beginning. The only way to detect it is doing regular check-up with the vet. We will hear heart murmur or abnormal heart sound with a stethoscope first and then we can arrange other tests to find the underlying heart disease. Signs of heart failure could be serious and even lead to death (shortness of breath due to pulmonary edema). Early detection can help your lovely pets get prompt treatment earlier and improve the quality and expectancy of life.
If your pets are in an emergency or if you have general inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Veterinary Emergency Centre.
General Hotline: 2334-2334
24-Hour Emergency Hotline: 6828-6620
