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Turramurra Vet Hospital 2 Princes Street Turramurra, NSW, 2074 [email protected] www.turramurravet.com.au Phone: 02 9988 0198 Does your pet have a healthy heart? June 2014 Contents of this newsletter 01 Heart disease and what to watch out for 02 Get to know your pet's SRR 03 Heartworm - is prevention really necessary? 04 Cat performs CPR 05 Happy pets 01 Heart disease and what to watch out for Diseases of the heart can be sneaky. They tend to creep up on your pet and clinical signs might not appear until the heart is in serious trouble. Knowing the signs of heart disease and starting treatment early can make a big difference to your pet's quality of life and longevity. Heart disease leads to a failure of the pumping mechanism of the heart. It is often referred to as congestive failure as it results in pooling of blood in the lungs. The signs to look out for in dogs and cats: Laboured or fast breathing An enlarged abdomen Weight loss or poor appetite Signs to look out for in dogs only: Coughing, especially at night A reluctance to exercise and tiring more easily on walks Weakness or fainting associated with exercise The good news is that there are medications available to help your pet's heart work better. We will initially recommend X-rays and an ultrasound of the heart so we know we are choosing the most suitable medication. If you think your pet is showing one or more of the above signs, it is important that we see them for an examination. Early treatment can help your pet lead a longer and happier life. 02 Get to know your pet's SRR "What is SRR?" we hear you ask. SRR refers to Sleeping Respiratory Rate and it is very useful in the assessment of the onset or reoccurrence of left sided congestive heart failure (CHF) in both dogs and cats. The good news is you can easily perform this test at home! Left sided congestive heart failure occurs with many of the common cardiac diseases in our pets. When pressure in the top left heart chamber increases and blood backs up into vessels within the lung, it results in fluid accumulating in the lungs. This fluid, referred to as pulmonary oedema, causes an increase in your pet's respiratory rate. How to monitor Sleeping Respiratory Rate The recording should be done when the animal is asleep in a thermo-neutral environment (ie, not too cold, not too hot). This should be repeated daily for 2-3 days (to get a baseline variation), and then once or twice weekly. Normal SRR Normal SRR in dogs and cats is less than 30 breaths per minute, often in the high teens or low 20s. Consistent SRR greater than 30 breaths per minute in patients with underlying heart disease is strongly suggestive of developing CHF (although respiratory disease needs to also be ruled out). What to do if the SRR is high Contact us if your pet's SRR is consistently over 30 breaths per minute. If everything else suggests CHF as the cause, we may perform chest X-rays and start your pet on a medication trial. An elevated SRR can also be caused by high blood pressure, anaemia, pneumonia, heat stress or a fever so if you are concerned about your pet it is best to arrange a check up with us as soon as possible. 03 Heartworm - is prevention really necessary? The prevention of heartworm disease is one of the most important things that you must do for your pet. Heartworm is the most dangerous of all the worms, and an intestinal ‘all wormer' tablet does not prevent heartworm infection. Mosquitoes spread heartworm and wherever there are mosquitoes, there is the risk of heartworm. When the mosquito feeds on your pet's blood, larvae enter the blood stream. These larvae mature into worms that can reach up to an astounding 30 cm in length! The worms eventually become lodged in your pet's heart leading to heart failure and sometimes death. Dogs are more commonly affected by heartworm disease but cats may also be at risk. This disease is definitely a case of prevention being better than the cure. Getting your pet started on the right heartworm medication can be confusing, especially with so many choices on the market. There are topical treatments, oral treatments and an injection for dogs. Ask us for the most suitable prevention for your pet - we will make sure your pet is protected. Adult heartworms lodge themselves in the heart leading to heart disease 04 Cat performs CPR We read an amazing story this month! A 72 year old man with a history of heart related problems visited his GP after being repeatedly attacked by his loyal moggy - while he was sleeping. The smart thinking GP thought that “perhaps the cat was witnessing something which it deemed required intervention.” The GP sent the man, who had a history of artery disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, to have an overnight monitoring assessment. The assessment revealed that the man had sleep apnoea and a slow heart rate and his heart beat was intermittently pausing for 7 seconds! “Although 7 second cardiac pauses do not normally require cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the patient’s cat rushed in, knowing no better, to perform C(at)PR.” The man's sleep apnoea was successfully treated and his cat has since refrained from ‘saving’ him. It seems the cat was somehow picking up on the patient’s ‘impending doom.’ Perhaps C(at)PR is the next big thing in animal detection of human diseases?! The article appeared in the April 2014 issue of the Australian Veterinary Journal 05 Happy pets Check out June's feel good video. We are especially fascinated by the cat in this clip. This video is a nice reminder that a healthy pet equals a happy pet!