Download Complete Cardiac Workup, a healthy heart is a happy heart

Complete Cardiac Workup
“A healthy heart is a happy heart”
Blood Pressure Check
Blood pressure is a force exerted by circulating blood on the
walls of blood vessels. During each heart beat the blood
pressure varies between maximum (systolic) and minimum
(diastolic) pressure. When the pressure is high in the vessels
this causes more resistance and the heart must work harder
with every beat which causes damage to the heart over time.
Blood pressure is very easy to measure just like it is in
humans. High blood pressure can be the first warning sign of
early heart disease. We recommend checking yearly,
especially in breeds predisposed to heart disease.
Chest X-rays
A radiograph is a photographic image produced by x-rays to
view structures within the body. This allows the doctor to see
the heart, lungs, and great vessels in the chest. Often the heart
can show physical changes on x-rays before your pet shows
any symptoms. We recommend chest x-rays be taken during
the midlife of your pet. This gives us a picture of your pet’s
heart so it can be used to compare as your pet ages.
EKG (Electrocardiogram)
An electrocardiogram (EKG) is an electrical tracing of the
heart’s function to look for underlying abnormalities. It is
especially important if an abnormal rhythm is heard by the
doctor in a physical exam. An EKG can help detect which
parts of the heart are abnormal. Early detection is key to a
healthy happy heart.
Blood Chemistry
Heart disease affects all the organs in the body. A blood
chemistry is an overall organ function profile. The liver and
kidneys are especially affected when heart disease is present.
We recommend blood work annually to monitor any changes
in organ function as your pet ages. Catching the changes in
the blood work before the pet shows any physical signs of
illness can help slow down or prevent many disease
processes.
White Blood Cell Count
This blood work monitors white blood cells, red blood cells
and platelets. It is an indicator of infection in the body. One
form of heart disease can be due to a bacterial infection in the
heart. An underlying infection can be present without any
symptoms. Annual blood work is recommended for early
detection
Heartworm Test
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease
in pets. Adult heartworms actually live in the heart and
pulmonary arteries. A simple blood test can be done in dogs
and when they test negative we recommend putting them on
prevention all year long. For cats the test is not as reliable so
we recommend putting them on prevention as kittens.
Help your pet
live a long healthy life.
Let Dr. Woodall or Dr. Murray
customize a healthy heart wellness work-up for your
pet.
All healthy heart work-ups
during June & July are
discounted 15%.