Health: Heart disease

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Heart disease affects dogs a bit differently than it does humans. They are, however, still susceptible to it, and it can have serious--even fatal--consequences.

The vast majority of dogs don't suffer from coronary artery disease, typically caused by bad diet (although they like a good slice of bacon as much as most humans, to be sure). But they can suffer from congestive heart failure, a progressive decrease in the heart's ability to pump blood to the rest of the body (not be confused with a heart attack, where the blood supply to the heart is suddenly cut off). Because the heart is the engine that transports oxygen throughout the body, congestive heart failure ultimately affects other organs as well.

As with many progressive diseases, it's possible for your dog to live with heart disease for many years without showing any symptoms. It may worsen over time, and symptoms may slowly emerge, or it may show itself suddenly, such as after a period of intense exercise when your dog can't seem to catch his breath.

Causes

• Chronic valvular disease, when the valves of the heart weaken with age and begin to leak.
• Myocardial disease, when the heart muscle weakens, causing it to enlarge.
• Arrhythmias, when there's a problem with the body's electrical system, which tells the heart how to beat.
• Pericardial disease, when the protective sac that surrounds the heart fills with fluid, preventing normal beating of the heart.