Heart failure in dogs can be either right-sided or left-sided. Right-sided heart failure results in fluid backing up into the abdomen, making the dog appear pregnant. Left-sided congestive heart failure causes fluid to build up in the lungs, essentially causing the dog to drown in its own body.

When fluid builds up in a dog's lungs and chest, oxygen cannot effectively diffuse through the fluid. This condition often results in patients who are extremely sick, exhibiting symptoms like rapid breathing and coughing. In severe, life-threatening cases, tipping the animal can cause fluid to pour out through their nose, resembling tipping a teapot. Unfortunately, once this stage is reached, humane euthanasia is often considered, as some dogs may even pass away while undergoing treatment. This situation underscores the severity of heart failure in dogs, highlighting the critical nature of the two main types of heart failures they experience.

While we can't reverse an enlarged heart, we can support its function with medication. This can help slow down the progression of the disease. Unfortunately, unlike in humans, we don't have the capability to do heart transplants in dogs at this time.

An enlarged heart in dogs is exactly what it sounds like - a heart that is larger than it should be. This usually indicates some type of disease, such as one of the chambers becoming too big or too thick.

Yes, diet can have a significant impact on a dog's heart health. There appears to be a strong correlation between grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). While we're still waiting for the results from official studies, many vets, including myself, have seen improvements in dogs' heart health when they are taken off grain-free food. If you have further questions about this, please schedule a consultation.

Cardiomyopathy refers to any heart disease. This includes dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), where the heart valve becomes flabby, and mitral valve disease. The term "cardiomyopathy" essentially means a heart problem, with "pathy" indicating a condition or disease.

A heart murmur in dogs occurs when one of the valves in the heart, which separates the four chambers, doesn't close all the way. This allows blood to flow backward, causing turbulence that can be heard as a murmur. Types of murmurs can vary, but they all indicate that one of the valves isn't closing properly.

The most common heart diseases in dogs depend on their size. For small dogs, the most common disease is mitral valve disease, which can lead to left-sided heart failure. In large breed dogs, we see more dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle gets a bit flabby. This disease has been linked to feeding boutique-like grain-free diets, although the exact correlation is not yet fully understood. Other common heart issues include arrhythmias, which are abnormal heartbeats.

You should ask about their vaccine requirements, how much activity the dogs get, how often they are checked on, and what their contingency plans are. For instance, what if something floods? What if there's an emergency? What if they can't reach you? Make sure they have authorization to seek treatment for your pet up to a certain dollar amount that you're comfortable with while they're trying to get ahold of you.