Regular vet checkups are an important part of diagnosing and treating heart disease in pets. The best thing owners can do is have their cats and dogs undergo a thorough medical checkup - at least once a year for cats under 10 and twice a year after that - with their vet paying close attention to the heart. /P>
For cats:
Signs of heart disease in cats include difficulty/rapid breathing, weakness, lethargy, exercise intolerance, and collapse episodes. Cats very rarely cough due to heart disease. The normal resting respiratory rate for cats is between 15 and 30 breaths per minute. If the cat has respiratory rates of more than 35 breaths per minute when the cat is relaxed or asleep, a veterinarian should be consulted.
The most common heart disease in cats is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. HCM is a primary heart muscle disease that (usually) thickens the walls of the left ventricle and is considered 'acquired' as it is usually not present at birth.
Unlike electrical problems that can cause arrhythmias, cats with clinically significant structural heart disease almost always have a heart murmur (the sound caused by turbulent blood flow) or other abnormal heart sounds that can be heard with a stethoscope. However, about 20% of cats with a heart murmur have no heart disease.
For dogs:
Signs of heart disease in dogs include difficulty/rapid breathing, cough, weakness, lethargy, exercise intolerance and episodes of collapse. The normal resting respiratory rate for dogs is between 15 and 30 breaths per minute. Respiratory rates greater than 35 breaths per minute when a dog is relaxed or asleep should consult a veterinarian.
The most common heart disease in dogs is age-related degeneration of the mitral valve, also called myxomatous mitral valve degeneration or MMVD. It is considered 'acquired' as it is not present at birth.
Puppies can have low-grade heart murmurs - the sound caused by turbulent blood flow that can be heard with a stethoscope - called "flow" or "physiological" murmurs that are not associated with heart disease. These usually disappear when they are 8-12 weeks old.
