Warning Signs That Your Dog Has a Heart Problem

10 Warning Signs That Your Dog Has a Heart Problem

Like you, your dog’s heart is vital to their overall health.

It pumps blood to the rest of your pet’s body, transporting oxygen and nutrients and bringing the energy needed to power their activities.

However, heart disease can be difficult to spot – it may take years to develop, and symptoms are not always obvious.

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General Tips for Canine Heart Health

  1. Regular Check-ups: Schedule regular vet visits to monitor your dog’s health. Regular exams can help detect heart problems early.
  2. Maintain a Healthy Diet: Feed your dog a balanced, nutritious diet to keep them fit and healthy. Consult with your vet for dietary recommendations.
  3. Regular Exercise: Regular physical activity can help maintain a healthy weight and heart health. However, the intensity should be appropriate for your dog’s age, breed, and health status.
  4. Limit Sodium Intake: High sodium can exacerbate heart problems, so limit your dog’s sodium intake.
  5. Keep Your Dog’s Weight in Check: Obesity can strain your dog’s heart. Make sure your dog maintains a healthy weight.
  6. Dental Care: Poor dental hygiene can lead to bacteria in the bloodstream, affecting the heart. Regular teeth cleaning is essential.
  7. Avoid Smoke: Secondhand smoke harms dogs and can contribute to heart disease.
  8. Regular Heartworm Prevention: Heartworm disease is a serious dog condition affecting the heart. Make sure your dog is on a regular heartworm prevention schedule.
  9. Hydration: Always ensure your dog has fresh water available to help keep them hydrated.
  10. Minimize Stress: Some dogs are more sensitive to stress, which can strain the heart. Try to keep your dog’s environment as calm and stress-free as possible.

This is why regular vet checkups are so important!

Unusual Breathing

Unusual breathing is a red flag that your dog may have an underlying heart problem. If your dog is panting excessively or breathing heavily while resting, it should be evaluated by a vet immediately.

Heart disease, bronchitis, and lung fluid are dogs’ most common causes of unusual breathing.

However, these issues can also be caused by allergies, anxiety, stress, and other health problems.

Breathing Fast and Shallow (Tachypnea)

Rapid, shallow breathing is normal sometimes, especially when your dog is excited or stressed.

However, if your dog is panting quickly with its mouth open and tongue hanging out, this could indicate that it is having trouble breathing.

Older dogs, especially those with respiratory disease, can also have difficulty breathing at rest.

This can be a warning sign of a serious underlying condition such as heart failure or lung cancer.

Labored Breathing

The pressure from your dog’s heart drives oxygen-depleted cells back toward the lungs to restock them with oxygen, so breathing laboredly is a sign that your dog is having trouble getting enough air into their lungs.

It can also indicate lung fluid related to congestive heart failure.

Fainting or Collapsing

When your dog’s heart isn’t working properly, it may have trouble getting blood to the brain and other vital organs, so it will start fainting or collapsing.

This can happen due to exercise or when they cough, which can be a warning sign that they are having a heart attack or other health problem.

In most cases, your vet will thoroughly examine your dog to determine the problem. They will check your dog’s heart, circulatory system, lungs, airway, neck, and head.

Then, they will run bloodwork to check for low blood counts or other medical conditions. They may also order X-rays to look at the heart, lungs, and other structures involved in breathing.

10 Warning Signs That Your Dog Has a Heart Problem

  1. Decreased Energy: Dogs with heart problems may become lethargic or show decreased interest in their favorite activities.
  2. Coughing: Persistent coughing, especially after exercise or at night, can be a sign of heart disease.
  3. Difficulty Breathing: You might notice rapid breathing, shortness of breath, or labored breathing in your dog.
  4. Loss of Appetite: Dogs suffering from heart problems might eat less than usual or show no interest in their food.
  5. Weight Loss or Gain: Sudden or unexplained weight gain can indicate heart problems.
  6. Fainting or Collapse: Dogs with severe heart conditions may faint or collapse, especially after exertion.
  7. Swollen Abdomen: A swollen or distended belly can indicate heart failure in dogs, as fluid builds up due to poor heart function.
  8. Restlessness or Anxiety: Dogs with heart problems may become restless, especially at night, due to difficulty breathing.
  9. Pale Gums: Check your dog’s gums regularly. If they appear pale or bluish, they could indicate poor oxygen flow due to heart problems.
  10. Weakness: Dogs with heart problems may display general weakness or lethargy, which can result from poor blood circulation from the heart.
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Swelling in the Legs

If your dog’s legs are swollen, it could indicate a heart problem. Swelling in the legs can be caused by fluid buildup or inflammation in the blood vessels.

A small amount of fluid shifts from your blood to the tissues around your blood vessels at all times, but if this happens suddenly or with a large amount of pressure, it can cause swelling.

This can occur in your ankles, feet, calves, or thighs.

This is a common symptom of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), where the veins in your legs don’t properly return blood to your heart.

A problem with the valves in your veins allows blood to pool, leading to swelling and pain in the lower legs.

A deep vein thrombus, or DVT, is a blood clot formed in a large vein that can cause pain, swelling, and even a serious condition called pulmonary embolism.

If you’re experiencing swelling in your leg, see your veterinarian immediately. This can help prevent the life-threatening complication of a pulmonary embolism, in which a blood clot breaks off and goes to your lungs.

You can treat your swollen legs with rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Keep an ice pack on your legs for about 20 minutes each hour to ease the swelling and relieve discomfort.

You can soak your legs in lukewarm water with Epsom salts to help soothe the skin.

Elevation can also help move fluids accumulating in your legs and may make the swelling disappear. Keep your legs above the level of your heart for 30 minutes three or four times a day.

Coughing or Wheezing

Coughing or wheezing indicates that your dog may be struggling with heart disease. A healthy heart works to pump oxygenated blood throughout the body, including the lungs.

This helps prevent common health problems, including heart failure and lung infections.

In a normal heart, the valves between the two chambers of the heart (the atria) keep blood moving in one direction.

They open when blood pressure is high and close when it is low. This keeps the blood flowing smoothly so it can reach all the areas of the body where it is needed most.

As the heart ages or begins to fail, the valves become weaker and less effective. In addition, the walls of the lungs become weaker and more likely to break down.

When this happens, the lungs can fill up with fluid, a serious symptom of heart disease known as congestive heart failure.

If you notice your dog coughing or wheezing, it is important to get them to a veterinarian immediately. You might also want to check with a vet for other potential causes of this symptom.

Various issues, including allergies, infections, and age-related conditions can cause wheezing. It is also often a symptom of a condition that affects the windpipe, called tracheal collapse.

This is more common in small, short-nosed breeds like Pugs and Maltese but can also occur in other dogs.

Some of the most important things you can do to help your dog is to remove items from their environment that can cause wheezing or a respiratory infection, such as candles, air fresheners, aerosol sprays, and more.

You can also try to bring them indoors when they suffer from this symptom.

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Lack of Energy

Lack of energy is a common symptom of many ailments, but it can also be a warning sign that your dog has a heart problem.

If your dog is lethargic, you should immediately take him to a veterinarian.

A vet will perform a thorough physical examination to check for other problems and then run diagnostic tests. This could include blood, urine, fecal tests, x-rays, and imaging scans.

Your vet may also order a Holter monitor, a portable machine that measures the electrical activity of your pet’s heart over several days.

This is particularly useful in diagnosing irregular sporadic heartbeats that would not appear on a regular exam.

Lethargy is often triggered by parasites such as hookworms and ticks and other infectious diseases such as the Parvovirus or pneumonia.

It can also be caused by a low red blood cell count, which causes your dog to feel tired and to rest more than normal.

Loss of appetite is another symptom that can be associated with heart disease. If your dog loses interest in food, this is a good indication that they may have a heart problem.

Muscle loss, especially in the shoulders and hindquarters or over the top of the back, is another common symptom of heart disease.

This is because a hormone-like substance in the body is produced when your dog suffers from congestive heart failure, and it can cause the muscles to shrink.

Fainting spells are another symptom of heart disease that can be scary for your dog, but they usually resolve themselves within a few minutes.

If your dog faints, ensure they are not vomiting or having a seizure, and immediately call the vet for emergency help.

Weight Gain

If you notice your dog gaining weight rapidly, it may be a sign of a more serious problem.

This can be caused by several things, including changes in your pet’s diet and exercise habits.

Obesity is one of the most common health problems in dogs. It’s linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and liver and joint problems.

You should also be concerned if your dog’s weight gain is accompanied by lethargy, a dull coat, or oily skin. This is a warning that something is wrong, and you should see your vet immediately.

Another possible cause of sudden weight gain in your dog is ascites, a fluid build-up in the abdomen. This condition is more common in older dogs but can also occur in younger ones.

The symptoms of this condition are often similar to those of heart disease, so you should be especially concerned if your dog has an enlarged belly without any signs of excess food or lack of activity.

Other causes of sudden weight gain in dogs include hormone problems, such as a thyroid imbalance (hypothyroidism).

These glands produce hormones that regulate metabolism; when they are underactive, your dog’s body will hold onto fat to conserve energy.

In addition, your dog may have a condition that prevents them from losing weight effectively, such as Cushing’s disease.

These disorders are caused by high levels of cortisol in the body, which leads to fat being redistributed to the abdomen.

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