Complete Cardiac Care and Treatment for Your Pet’s Heart

Cardiology is a veterinary clinical specialty that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of the valves and muscles of the heart. Dover Pet Hospital offers complete cardiac evaluations utilizing digital radiography, ultrasonography, and electrocardiography (EKG).

After our initial comprehensive cardiac physical evaluation, we’ll discuss with you any additional testing or treatment that we recommend. In some cases, we may refer you to a cardiac specialist.

Discovering that your pet has a heart problem can certainly be a difficult time for a pet owner. However, it is important to find out as much about the problem as possible to begin effective treatment. The sooner treatment begins, the sooner the quality of your pet’s life is improved and the more likely we are to prolong your pet’s life through treatment and management of the problem.

If we believe there is a heart problem, performing an echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart, is a critical step in diagnosing the condition. An echocardiogram is a safe, non-surgical way for our veterinarians to evaluate the chambers of the heart and visualize the valves. This test can rule out or confirm a diagnosis and aid in determining the amount of leakage and the severity of an abnormality. Pending the results of this test, Dr. Eberhardt may also perform an EKG or chest X-rays.

When minutes count, our EKG equipment allows for detection of cardiac arrhythmia and other conditions of the heart.  An electrocardiogram (EKG) is a diagnostic test that records the electrical activity of the heart.

The electrocardiogram is a noninvasive test. The heart's electrical activity is recorded by attaching small contact electrodes to the legs.  This allows recording of electrical activity onto paper printed from the electrocardiograph machine.

The EKG is the test of choice for diagnosis of abnormal heart rhythms and also can be useful for identification of heart enlargement or drug effects on the heart. An EKG is indicated whenever a heart rhythm problem is suspected.

Our Hospital is also equipped with a transmitter that allows us to send your pets heart sounds over the telephone lines to a Board Certified Cardiologist. They can get back to us immediately about what they are hearing and advise us on how to proceed with some of the cases that really do need a specialist. Having this invaluable instrument allows us to get your pet a consult with a Cardiologist who may be thousands of miles away.  This enables our doctor to treat your pet with a more comprehensive picture of what is going on inside your pets heart.

Complaints that are indicative of heart problems are usually first diagnosed when your doctor listens to your pets heart in the physical examination. When your doctor hears these sounds, we recommend an ECG be performed on your pet.

What Signs Would I See If My Pet Has A Heart Problem?

Heart disease can be a silent killer.  Early signs of heart disease can go completely unnoticed by pet owners - sometimes until heart damage is advanced.

Sometimes, the only sign that an owner may notice is a cough. Other signs you may notice in your pet are tiredness, rapid breathing, poor appetite, an enlarged tummy, pale or bluish gums.

If we are suspicious that your pet might have a heart problem, the first test we traditionally do is an x-ray and an EKG to check if the electrical system of the heart is functioning normally.  If it is unclear if the heart is enlarged or if the heart is even the source of your pet's problems, a proBNP Test might be ordered.  This test is especially useful in cats when we are not sure if the cat has a lung problem, asthma or a heart problem.  These are all non-surgical ways to evaluate your pets heart and rule out or confirm a diagnosis.

Dogs may let us know earlier than cats that there is a problem.  Owners are often unaware that their cat has a heart problem until its heart is well on its way to failing.  Often the only signs in your cat are weight loss, and difficulty breathing.  Cats are more likely to make asthmatic-like sounds than to have a hacking cough.

Heart disease is a combination of several problems.  Early diagnosis is your pets best chance at prolonging a good quality of life through treatment and management of the problem.

If you believe your pet is experiencing a heart problem, please call 949-776-4449 and ask for an appointment with Dr. Eberhardt to schedule a cardiac work-up.