Should I put my dog down with congestive heart failure?
If the pet has a condition like congestive heart failure, or untreatable brain cancer — a disease that will, unchecked, lead to a painful death — the recommendation may be for euthanasia sooner instead of later.
What can I feed my dog that has an enlarged heart?
Some balanced diets include Royal Canin® Veterinary Diet Canine Cardiac, Rayne Clinical Nutrition™ Restrict-CKD™, or Hill’s® Prescription Diet® h/d®. Your veterinarian will help you determine the most appropriate nutrient profile at each stage of your dog’s heart disease progression.
The Causes of Canine Enlarged Hearts
Historically, enlarged hearts in pups typically go hand-in-hand with conditions like congenital heart diseases, congestive heart failure, and heart disease. Knowing the possible causes of these diseases and this condition can help you keep an eye on your pups heart health.
Some of the causes of an enlarged heart include things that come with time, like old age and injury. Many middle-aged dogs, especially if theyre a larger breed, develop this over time.
Diet and exercise can play a role in a dogs heart health, too. Sometimes though, injury or infection can exacerbate an issue and cause heart problems. Often though, your dog might have just been born with a heart defect that you were unable to detect. Additionally, deficiencies in amino acids, toxicity, infection, and low thyroid can contribute as well.
Often, understanding how and why a disease or condition occurs can help lend itself to the treatment of the condition. That being said, its important to understand the science behind a canines enlarged heart. This condition is called Dilated Cardiomyopathy and occurs for a variety of reasons we mentioned above (genetic, diet, exercise, deficiencies, toxicity, etc).
When a dog has DCM, the heart muscle expands and becomes enlarged, and at its worst, weak and unable to function. The loss of the ability to contract is the main component of the condition, affecting both sides of the heart. Because of this, the chambers of the heart, the atria and the ventricles, are put under great strain due to the enlargement and impairment of the over-sized heart muscle.
Enlarged Heart (Dilated Cardiomyopathy) in Dogs | Wag!
If your dog has been diagnosed with a heart murmur, your Vet will have graded it from 1 to 6, with 6 being the loudest murmur. This means that you will need to adjust your dog’s activities to allow them to enjoy themselves without putting too much stress on their heart.
How much exercise does a dog with a heart murmur need? Dogs with a heart murmur graded 4-6 need restricted physical exercise three times a week to avoid putting excessive strain on their heart. Mental exercises like puzzles and stuffable toys to lick can be given daily. Dogs with a lower grade 1-3 may be able to live a normal life. Consult your vet for the best advice for your dog’s condition.
So, if ball chasing, swimming and running are off the exercise agenda, what can you do to keep your dog’s brain and body active without putting their health at further risk?