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How do I know if my cat has any heart issues? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

What would I see in my cat to suspect that he or she has heart disease? Your cat might be lethargic. They may sleep 24 out of the 24 hours instead of 23. Sometimes they don't show any symptoms at all, which is why a physical exam at least once a year is vital for your cat. But your cat may have shortness of breath or open-mouth breathing, which would be some symptoms you might notice.

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Do I need a board-certified cardiologist to diagnose heart issues in my cat? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

Good question. Sometimes we do. Cats can be very confusing, and it can be hard to detect heart disease in them. So, we rely on our veterinary cardiologist, but general practitioners like myself can help with that.

Contributed by Nichola Gaither from

What is heart failure in dogs? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

Heart failure is simply when the heart fails to work appropriately. So the heart is just a big pump that pumps blood from the body back into the lungs, where it's oxygenated, and then back into the heart, where the heart pumps it back into the body, where we can use it again. And so congestive heart failure occurs when that blood does not flow appropriately.

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How do you treat an enlarged heart? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

If it is an enlarged chamber, we may put them on medication to help that heart squeeze better. If it were due to an enlargement around the heart, such as pericardial effusion, we could run specialized tests to relieve that pressure.

Contributed by Nichola Gaither from

What is an enlarged heart in dogs? - Animal Hospital of Statesville

Good question. An enlarged heart is, to put it simply, a big heart, but the big heart can be due to various reasons, and finding out that reason is important because it could weigh in on different prognoses. So it could either be an enlarged chamber of the heart or an enlargement around the heart.

Contributed by Nichola Gaither from
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