Common Heart Disease in Dogs and Cats: Signs, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Heart disease isn't just a human health concern. Dogs and cats can develop a variety of heart conditions throughout their lives, ranging from mild conditions that require monitoring to serious diseases that need ongoing treatment.
The good news is that veterinary medicine has made significant advances in diagnosing and managing cardiac disease. Recognizing the warning signs and working with your veterinarian can help identify heart problems earlier and give your pet the best opportunity for a comfortable, active life.
At Comforting Paws, we provide mobile echocardiograms for dogs and cats in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and surrounding New Mexico communities. Understanding some of the most common cardiac conditions can help you know what questions to ask if your veterinarian discovers a heart murmur or other concern.
What Is Cardiac Disease in Pets?
Cardiac disease refers to conditions that affect the heart or the cardiovascular system.
Heart disease can affect a pet's heart valves, heart muscle, rhythm, blood vessels, or the heart's ability to pump blood effectively.
Some heart conditions are present from birth, while others develop later in life.
The type of heart disease your pet develops can depend on several factors, including species, breed, age, genetics, and other health conditions.
Common Heart Diseases in Dogs
I. Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease
Myxomatous mitral valve disease, often abbreviated as MMVD, is one of the most common acquired heart diseases in dogs.
The mitral valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricle. With MMVD, the valve gradually becomes thickened and does not close normally.
This can allow blood to leak backward through the valve, a process called regurgitation.
Veterinarians often detect MMVD because they hear a heart murmur during a physical examination.
Many dogs with early valve disease have no obvious symptoms. As the disease progresses, some dogs can develop signs associated with congestive heart failure.
These may include:
Coughing
Increased breathing rate
Difficulty breathing
Reduced exercise tolerance
Weakness
Restlessness, particularly at night
Abdominal enlargement in some cases
Not every dog with a heart murmur has advanced heart disease. Additional testing can help determine the underlying cause and severity.
II. Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, is a disease in which the heart muscle becomes weakened and the heart chambers can become enlarged.
Because the heart may not contract normally, its ability to pump blood effectively can decrease.
DCM is associated with certain breeds and can have genetic components. Nutritional factors have also been investigated in some cases.
Dogs with DCM may develop:
Weakness
Exercise intolerance
Collapse or fainting
Difficulty breathing
Coughing
Abnormal heart rhythms
Because some dogs can have significant heart disease before obvious symptoms appear, veterinary evaluation is particularly important when DCM is suspected.
Common Heart Diseases in Cats
I.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, is the most commonly diagnosed heart disease in cats.
With HCM, the heart muscle—particularly the muscular wall of the left ventricle—becomes abnormally thickened.
This thickening can interfere with the heart's ability to fill properly and may contribute to increased pressure within the heart and lungs.
Some cats with HCM appear completely normal for years.
Others may develop:
Rapid or labored breathing
Lethargy
Reduced activity
Weakness
Collapse
Congestive heart failure
HCM can also increase the risk of blood clots in some cats. A blood clot can cause a sudden and extremely painful loss of blood flow to the hind limbs, which is a veterinary emergency.
II. Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
Restrictive cardiomyopathy is another cardiac condition seen in cats.
In this disease, changes to the heart muscle can make it difficult for the heart chambers to relax and fill normally.
Cats with restrictive cardiomyopathy may develop signs associated with congestive heart failure, including difficulty breathing or fluid accumulation.
Because several feline heart conditions can produce similar clinical signs, diagnostic testing is important for determining what is happening.
What About Heart Murmurs?
A heart murmur is an abnormal sound heard through a stethoscope when blood moves through the heart.
Hearing a murmur does not necessarily mean that your pet has severe heart disease.
Some murmurs can be relatively benign, while others are caused by structural heart disease.
In some pets, additional testing is recommended to determine the significance of the murmur.
Your veterinarian may recommend an echocardiogram, blood pressure measurement, chest X-rays, an electrocardiogram, bloodwork, or other diagnostic tests depending on your pet's history and physical examination.
What Is an Echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram is an ultrasound examination of the heart.
It allows a veterinary professional to evaluate the heart's structures and function, including the heart chambers, valves, walls, and blood flow.
An echocardiogram can be an important part of evaluating pets with suspected heart disease because it provides information that cannot be obtained from a stethoscope alone.
Comforting Paws provides mobile echocardiograms for dogs and cats, allowing diagnostic cardiac imaging to be performed in the familiar environment of your pet's home.
For some pets—particularly senior, anxious, or mobility-limited animals—avoiding an additional trip to a veterinary hospital can make the process more comfortable.
Signs of Heart Disease Pet Parents Should Watch For
Heart disease doesn't always look the same from one pet to another.
Contact your veterinarian if you notice changes such as:
Persistent or unusual coughing
Increased breathing rate while resting
Difficulty breathing
Reduced stamina
Reluctance to exercise
Weakness
Fainting or collapse
Decreased appetite
Unexplained weight changes
A swollen or enlarged abdomen
Sudden weakness or paralysis, particularly in a cat
Some of these symptoms can have causes unrelated to the heart, which is why veterinary evaluation is important.
Pay Attention to Your Pet's Resting Breathing Rate
For pets with known or suspected heart disease, your veterinarian may recommend monitoring their breathing while they are sleeping or resting.
An increase in resting respiratory rate (>30 breaths per minute at rest) can sometimes be an early indication of worsening heart or respiratory disease.
Can Heart Disease Be Treated?
Treatment depends on the specific heart condition, its severity, and your pet's overall health.
Depending on the diagnosis, treatment may include medications, nutritional management, activity modifications, regular monitoring, or other interventions.
Some pets require lifelong cardiac medications and periodic follow-up examinations.
Others may have a condition that simply needs to be monitored.
The most important thing is to identify the underlying condition before deciding what treatment is appropriate.
Early Evaluation Can Make a Difference
A heart murmur or other cardiac concern can be understandably frightening for a pet parent.
However, finding a murmur doesn't automatically mean that your pet is in heart failure or that their quality of life is poor.
A thorough evaluation can help determine what is actually happening and whether additional monitoring or treatment is appropriate.
If your veterinarian has recommended an echocardiogram for your dog or cat, Comforting Paws offers mobile veterinary echocardiograms in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and surrounding communities.
Our goal is to provide specialized cardiac imaging while allowing your pet to remain in a familiar environment whenever possible.
Have questions about mobile echocardiograms for your pet? Call or text Comforting Paws at 505-615-2418.
This article is intended for general educational purposes and does not replace an examination or individualized advice from your veterinarian. If your pet is experiencing severe difficulty breathing, collapse, sudden paralysis, or another potentially life-threatening symptom, seek emergency veterinary care immediately.
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