American Heart Month

We may have happy memories of Valentine's Day, but matters of the heart are still top of mind at Newtown Veterinary Specialists! Remember, February is American Heart Month. From our Internal Medicine Specialist, here's some timely related information for pet-owners: Cardiac arrhythmia – when the heart skips a beat.

Did you know that dogs and cats can have irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias, just like people can?    Arrhythmias are due to disturbances in the electrical activity of the heart, which can lead to skipped beats or a heart rate that is too fast or slow. 

In most cases an arrhythmia will occur in a pet that has underlying heart disease.  Conditions that do not directly involve the heart muscle or blood vessels of the heart can also lead to abnormal heartbeats.   These conditions include electrolyte imbalances, drug reactions, tumors, hormone abnormalities, and even chocolate toxicity. Many times pet owners will not realize this is occurring due to a lack of signs and the arrhythmia will only be discovered during a physical examination.

Subtle signs of an arrhythmia are decreased activity or panting more with exercise.  These signs can  come and go with the arrhythmia. Signs of significant heart arrhythmias are weakness, exercise intolerance or fatigue, fainting or collapse, cough, and pale gums.  If a pet owner sees any of these signs, the pet should be evaluated by a veterinarian. 

If the veterinarian detects an abnormal heart rhythm, an electrocardiogram, chest radiographs and blood work may be recommended. This testing can help determine the significance, a possible underlying cause, and the correct therapy. Chest radiographs are a way to evaluate the size of the heart and to look for signs of congestive heart failure, such as fluid in the lungs. The pet may be  referred to a veterinary cardiologist for an echocardiogram. This ultrasound test allows a noninvasive evaluation of the heart as it is beating and measurements can be taken to determine if there is underlying disease in the heart muscle. 

If there is an underlying condition that is not cardiac in origin causing the irregular heartbeat, treating that condition may help resolve the arrhythmia. If no underlying cause is found, arrhythmias can be controlled with medications or “antiarrhythmics” drugs. If the heart beat is too slow a veterinary cardiologist may recommend a pacemaker.

If you have any questions or concerns about your pet's heart health, we're here to help you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you would like to learn more about American Heart Month for human health, visit http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/