A diseased heart can compensate for many months or years without signs of failure. When failure does occur, it may appear suddenly and unexpectedly-sometimes immediately after strenuous exercise, when the heart is unable to keep up with the body’s demands.
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In toy and small-breed dogs, chronicvalvular disease with mitral regurgitation is the most common cause of congestive heart failure. In large-breed dogs it is dilated cardiomyopathy.
The early signs of congestive heart failure are tiring easily, a decrease in activity level, and intermittent coughing. The coughing occurs during periods of exertion or excitation. It also tends to occur at night, usually about two hours after the dog goes to bed. Dogs may be restless-pacing instead of quickly settling down to sleep.
These early signs are nonspecific and may even be considered normal for the dog’s age. As heart failure progresses the dog develops other signs, such as lack of appetite, rapid breathing, abdominal swelling, and a marked loss of weight.
Because the heart no longer pumps effectively, blood backs up in the lungs, liver, legs, and other organs. Increased pressure in the veins causes fluid to leak into the lungs and peritoneal cavity. Fluid in the lungs is the cause of the coughing. A rapid accumulation of fluid in the small airways can cause the dog to cough up a bubbly red fluid, a condition called pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema indicates failure of the left ventricle.
This article deals with a type of heart failure that affects primarily large breeds of dogs. Doberman pinscher, Labrador retriever, deerhunds, boxers, irish wolfhounds and golden retrievers are some of the breeds that suffer from this condition. Only occasionally, cocker spaniels and other smaller breeds will develop the condition. Typically, the pets are 4-10 years old when signs first occur and the signs of distress come on quite suddenly. For the more common cause of heart failure in older dogs, see another article I have written.
The heart of all mammals is made up of four chambers. The upper left and right chambers are called the atria (atrium) and the lower left and right chambers are called the ventricles.
Blood flows from the veins of the body into the right atrium. It is stored there briefly as it is pumped on into the right ventricle. The right ventricle pumps blood into the lungs, where it receives oxygen. It then flows from the lungs into the left atrium where it is held briefly before going on to the left ventricle. The left ventricle contains the largest muscle of the heart so it can pump blood out through the arteries to all parts of the body.
There are two types of cardiac failure or myopathy that occur in dogs. In one form called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy the walls of the chambers of the heart thicken, leading to a decrease in pumping efficiency. This form of cardiac failure is quite rare in dogs. In the second form of cardiomyopathy the chambers of the heart increase in size and the muscles that form the walls of the heart stretch thinner. This is called dilated cardiomyopathy. This is the type that leads to congestive heart failure (CHF) in our pets. Canine Dilative Cardiomyopathy is one of the causes of CHF.
It is rather common for a dog’s failing heart to enlarge and no longer pump sufficient blood throughout the body. The most common cause of this in our pets as they age is damage to the valves that control the flow of blood within the heart. Pets are usually over five years of age when the condition is first noticed.
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