Heart Flashcards
Lethargy
None specific
Organs not getting enough oxygen
Coughing
Clinical sign
Usually due to pulmonary edema
Hypotension
Heart failing, unable to pump blood properly and pressure falls
Left sided heart failure
Low blood volume
Hypertension
Right sides heart failure
Valve malfunction
If left sided failure, body may compensate with hypertension to increase pressures for heart to push against
What can hypertension lead to
Stimulation of heart muscles to grow, and enlarge heart, can compensate for years, until eventually heart becomes too stretched or unable to push past the pressure in the arteries
Bradycardia causes
Hypothyroid
Addisons
Hype
Normal when sleeping
Bradycardia and hypothyroidism
Slower metabolism, interferes with electrical impulses for heart contraction
Addisons and hypothyroidism
Improper electrolyte regulation, water lost (low blood volume) and high potassium interferes with heart
Hypothermia and bradycardia
Vaso mediated fight/flight leads to collapse
When is bradycardia normal?
Athletic dogs
Large breed dogs
Sleeping
Tachycardia
Abnormally fast heart rate
Hypotension, anemia, shock, dehydration
Cardiac murmer
Sound of turbulence in blood flow
Is there a treatment for cardiac murmer
Usually no treatment unless CHF or congenital defect
How to treat murmer
Monitor and treat once progresses
No benefit shown to early treatment
What can murmur indicate
Improper blood flow
What are the extra heart sounds in a murmer
Gallop
What species is a murmur common in
Dogs
If cat has murmur, may indicate a problem
When can murmur occur
Congenital defects
Malformed valves
Septum defect
Arrhythmia
Irregular erratic pulse or heart rate
Slow or fast rates
Sinus arrhythmia
A normal mild slowing and speeding up of the heart associated with breathing
HR increased with inspiration
HR decreases with expiration
Normal , dogs
Chronic valvular disease
Mortal valve insufficiency
What breeds is mortal valve insufficiency common in
Small breed dogs
Cavalier king Charles spaniels
Common ways to diagnose heart conditions
Auscultation Palpation Radiographs (chest x-rays) Ultrasound Doppler echocardiography EKG
Ultrasound (echocardiogram)
Movie of heart
Can assess heart size (measure wall thickness)
Flow of blood, valves
Diagnose cause of heart issues
Doppler echocardiography
Special kind of ultrasound
Look at speed and direction of blood flow
What does blue mean on Doppler echocardiography
Away from transducer
What does red mean on Doppler echocardiography
Towards transducer
Multiple colours on Doppler echocardiography
High velocity
ECG
Electrocardiogram
Measures electrical signals in ear
Records on monitor can do print outs on paper
Most useful to diagnose arrhythmia
Holter monitor
Special device the dog wears for 24 hours to record prolonged ECG
Heartworm test
Presence of adult heart worms
SNAP test common, can send away as well
Tests for female heartworm antigen
Should be 7-8 months old or older
Diuretics
Remove excess fluid
Lasix is the most commonly used
Why are diuretics commonly used in dogs
To remove pulmonary edema
What to do with animal while they are on diuretics
Make sure they are still drinking
Monitor fluid and electrolyte balance
Most common diuretic and how much of a dose do you need
Lasix
Start on a higher dose than lower to dose to most effective dose as pet improves
Three common heart diseases
Vetmedin
Enalapril/ banazepril
Lasix
What does vetamin do
Improves contractibility of heart
Enalapril/banazepril
Opens vessels so less pressure for heart to push against
Lasix
Water pills
Takes off excess water
Most common feline heart medications
Diuretics Banazepril Propanalol Anti-arrhythmic Aspirin
Diuretics
Water pills
Removes excess H20
Furosemide (Lasix)
Benazepril (Fortekor)
Heart efficiency: opens vessels
Propanalol
Anti arrhythmic
Decreased heart rate
Aspirin
Anti coagulant
Used for clots
Antiarrhythmic drugs
Propanalol
When are anti arrhythmic meds used in cats
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
When are anti arrhythmic meds used in dogs
Atrial fibrillation
Pacemakers
May see pacemaker implanted in dogs for arrhythmias
Pacemaker regulates heart
Other reasons for pacemaker
Heart block
Improper heart signaling (not signaling in first place, not reaching ventricles after atrium)
How to put pacemaker in dogs and cats
Open heart surgery to place in cats
Dogs can thread through neck
Pulse generator implanted in neck or leg
Surgery
Not many
Valve repair and heart defects
Antiparasitic drugs
Heartworm disease
Give enough to kill the worms but not enough to kill the dogs
How many treatments plus when is it better to treat parasites
Much safer to prevent heart worms than to treat it. Better to prevent then get heart worm surgery
Need multiple treatments to kill worms slowly so they don’t clog arteries
Heart diet
Purina
Royal canine
Hills
Why is there low salt in heart diet
To lower water reabsorption
Increases BP and hearts workload
Vitamin B/Thiamin
Needed for proper muscle activity
Converts glucose to energy
May be low if pet is fed raw fish (destroys thiamin)
Can use with diuretics
Taurine
Low taurine can cause dilated cardiomyopathy in cats (uncommon with proper diet)
Carnitine
Also helping for converting energy , found useful for heart
Coenzyme Q
Appears to strengthen heart
Vitamin C
May also be useful for heart activity
Other word for chronic valvular disease
Mortal valve insufficiency
Most common breeds for mitral valve insufficiency
Small dogs
Cavalier king Charles spaniels
Mitral valve insufficiency
Degeneration of mitral valve which leads to leaky valve
What can mitral valve insufficiency lead to
Murmur first then CHF
Coughing / exercise intolerance
Drugs that treat mitral valve insufficiency
Vetmedin
Lasix
Fortefor
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Heart disease of large breed dogs where the heart chambers enlarge and the walls become thin
Breeds that often have dilated cardiomyopathy
Boxers and Dobermans
Clinical signs of dilated cardiomyopathy
Both left and right side congestive heart failure
Ascites and coughing due to pulmonary edema
Sometimes sudden death
Causes of dilated cardiomyopathy
Genetics
Nutritional
Infectious
What can the animal have to indicate dilated cardiomyopathy
Heart murmur
Arrhythmia
Treatment of cardiomyopathy
Lasix
Fortekor
Arrhythmias
Irregular or erratic heart rate
Cause of arrhythmia
Some interference of the electrical system of the heart
Diagnoses of arrhythmia
ECG or Holter monitor
Ultra sound
Electrocardiogram
Can assess heart size , measure wall thickness,
Flow of blood, valves
Diagnose cause of heart issues
How to treat arrhythmia
Propanalol
Congestive Heart Failure
Syndrome where a damaged or diseased heart can no longer provide adequate circulation to the body
Damage that leads to congested heart failure
Valvular disease
Cardiomyopathy
Congenital heart disease
Myocarditis
Congestive heart failure in small dogs
Mortal valve insufficiency
Congestive heart failure in large dogs
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Early signs of congestive heart failure
Fatigue
Decreased exercise tolerance
Cough
As CHF progresses
Back up of blood causing pulmonary edema
What happens when left ventricle fails in chf
Ascites and general edema
Right ventricle fails / whole heart fails
Acites
Pulmonary edema
Generalized edema
Pleural effusion
Ascites
Accumulation of fluid in the abdomen
Pulmonary edema
Accumulation of fluid in air sac
Blood pressure
Commonly monitored during anesthesia
Diagnose hypertension
Keep pet calm
Treatment of CHF
Directed at underlying cause
Then using meds to increase heart function and remove fluid
Feeding heart diet
Surgical repair may save pet but disease is usually fatal
Cardiomyopathy in cats
3 types: Hypertrophic Restrictive Dilated All forms cause heart failure , sudden death, clots in arteries
Cardiomyopathy signs
Reduced exercise tolerance
Labored breathing
Sudden death
thromboembolism
Blood clot blocks supplies to back legs , paralyzes cat
Emergency
Thromboembolism signs
Legs cold/drags
Thromboembolism treatment
Clot removal difficult, often euthanized
Prevention and other treatment of thromboembolism
Prevent death with low dose aspirin
May live months / years on meds
Pericardial effusion
Disease where fluid leaks into the pericardial sac and restricts the heart from pumping properly
Pericardial effusion causes
Tumor bleeding into sac
Diagnoses of pericardial effusion
X-ray’s
Blood work
Physical Exam
Prognosis of pericardial effusion
Poor
