Your pets’ heart is a muscle that has to work all day, every day. There are many diseases and abnormalities that can cause the heart to not pump as well as it should, which means that heart diseases can affect your pet all day, every day, dramatically affecting your pet’s quality of life.
Screening
We offer screening tests for heart murmurs, congenital abnormalities, and cardiac diseases that show up later in life, as well as specific cardiac tests such as echocardiograms. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart, which allows your pets’ veterinarian to measure how thick the heart’s muscular walls are, how well the heart contracts, and how well the valves are working. Your pets’ veterinarian can also prescribe the appropriate medications after a successful diagnosis, to keep your pets’ heart as healthy as possible.
Symptoms
Some symptoms of diseases of the heart may include:
- exercise intolerance
- Lethargy
- Collapse
- Difficulty breathing
Heartworm Prevention
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms living inside your pet. This not only sounds unpleasant, it can also be a serious health problem.
At East El Paso Animal Hospital, we offer heartworm prevention and deworming. Both are essential to keeping your pet healthy, as the American Veterinary Medical Association has released information that heartworm disease affects all 50 states in the country.
It is important for your pet to see the veterinarian if your pet has any of these symptoms. If you have any concerns or questions about our cardiology screening, be sure to contact us at (915) 593-1712 or come in for a visit.
