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Heart Clinic
Heart disease is one of the most common problems affecting our pets more usually as they age but can also be a problem in young growing animals.
Signs of heart problems in pets can vary from subtle weight loss and 'slowing down' to more obvious coughing (most often at night or when excited) and even collapse.
At the Links Veterinary Group we use a broad based approach to the management of heart disease involving the use of up to date equipment to both diagnose and monitor the response to treatment such as ultrasound scanning (maybe more often seen when looking at unborn babies in people!) and digital XRays to look at the size and shape of the heart and the condition of the lungs.
In controlling the progression of heart disease we can divide what we do into nutrition and the use of drugs.
We all know that we should avoid too much salt in our daily diet but less commonly appreciated is that most commercial diets contain too much salt for the average pet. This can lead to fluid retention problems and high blood pressure just as it can in people. We can advise on the best nutrition for your pet to avoid this situation.
In the last 15 years a whole range of drugs to control heart disease in dogs and cats have become available which may both improve the circulation and also reduce the strain on the heart. Some of these drugs even come in palatable forms now which make daily administration very straight forward.
Monitoring of pets with heart disease will involve regular appointments at one of our surgeries in order to make sure things are going according to plan. An ultrasound scan may be performed to show the actual functioning of the heart is improving and blood tests may be recommended to monitor vital kidney function which can suffer as an effect of heart problems.
Overall we expect to be able to control the progression of heart disease in the best way possible by using regular checkups and finetuning the treatment plan for your pet.
Call us on 01620 622262 or Contact us online now to make an appointment at a surgery near you.