Sick Sinus Syndrome (SSS) in Dogs
Sick Sinus Syndrome (SSS) is a condition where the sinus node (normal pacemaker of the heart) is diseased and not responding normally to the body
Common Canine
Heart Diseases
Different Diseases Require
Different Treatments
Here you’ll find a list of common canine heart diseases, so you can understand exactly what’s going on inside your dog’s heart.
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Acquired Heart Disease
Physiologic Murmur in Dogs
A physiologic murmur is common in large-breed dogs. This represents mild turbulence within the great vessels and is not the result of structural heart
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Dogs
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a state of high blood pressure within the lung (pulmonary) circulation. This condition can be due to heartworm disease and
Systemic Hypertension in Dogs
Systemic Hypertension is a state of high blood pressure within the body. This means that the heart must work very hard to propel blood forward,
Heart Base Tumors in Dogs
Heart Base Tumors are most frequently chemodectomas, which are benign, slow growing tumors of the aortic body chemoreceptors. These tumors can cause the accumulation
Right Auricular Mass in Dogs
A right atrial/auricular mass is most likely a hemangiosarcoma. Other tumor types would include chemodectoma or carcinoma. The prognosis is typically poor; however,
Pericardial Effusion in Dogs
Pericardial Effusion is a condition where there is a fluid accumulation within the pericardial sac. This causes the pressures outside of the heart to
Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Dogs
Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a primary myocardial disease wherein the heart muscle is damaged and becomes very weak. The left ventricle dilates and has a
Chronic Valve Disease in Dogs
Myxomatous Mitral Valve Degeneration (i.e. Chronic Valve Disease or Endocardiosis) is a chronic, degenerative disease of the mitral valve (62% of affected patients have only
Congenital Heart Disease
Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) in Dogs
A Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) is a congenital cardiac disease, causing communication between the left and right ventricle. These can occur in numerous locations
Congenital Mitral Valve Dysplasia in Dogs
Congenital Mitral Valve Dysplasia is a condition where the mitral valve (separating the left atrium and left ventricle) did not form correctly at birth. As
Tricuspid Valve Dysplasia in Dogs
Tricuspid Valve Dysplasia is a congenital disease where the tricuspid valve did not form properly in utero. This condition allows tricuspid regurgitation (backwards blood
Pulmonic Valvular Stenosis in Dogs
Pulmonic valvular stenosis is a congenital condition wherein the valve did not form properly in utero. This valve does not open completely and makes the
Equivocal Subaortic Stenosis in Dogs
Equivocal Subaortic Stenosis is a “grey zone” where we cannot tell if the patient has mild disease (affected) or no disease. When patients are
Subaortic Stenosis in Dogs
Subaortic Stenosis is a condition where the aortic outflow tract is narrowed. Most frequently, this a result of a partially or fully encircling fibrous
Reverse Patent Ductus Arteriosus (rPDA) in Dogs
A right to left Patent Ductus Arteriosus (Reversed PDA or rPDA) is a congenital defect where the ductus arteriosus (fetal vascular connection) remains present after
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) in Dogs
A Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) is a congenital defect where the ductus arteriosus (fetal vascular connection) remains patent after birth. This allows blood to
Arrythmias
Sick Sinus Syndrome (SSS) in Dogs
Sick Sinus Syndrome (SSS) is a condition where the sinus node (normal pacemaker of the heart) is diseased and not responding normally to the body
3rd Degree Atrioventricular (AV) Block in Dogs
3rd Degree Atrioventricular (AV) Block is a condition where the signals for the heart rate from the sinus node are not received or allowed through
2nd Degree Atrioventricular (AV) Block in Dogs
2nd Degree Atrioventricular (AV) Block is a condition where the AV Node allows only some sinus-initiated beats to travel through the node into the ventricle,
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in Dogs
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a condition that most commonly occurs in Boxer dogs, but is also seen in Bulldogs This condition consists of
Ventricular Premature Complexes in Dogs
Ventricular Premature Complexes or Ventricular Tachycardia is an electrical disturbance, where the ventricular myocardium depolarizes at incorrect times. These may be due to numerous etiologies,
Atrial Premature Complexes in Dogs
Atrial premature complexes are often the result of atrial dilation (left or right); however, additional considerations would be mechanical irritation (perihilar lymph node enlargement, atrial/auricular
Atrial Fibrillation in Dogs
Atrial fibrillation is a condition where the atrium (top chambers of the heart) are no longer allowing organized electrical activity. Rather, there is a
