Coughing is usually the first noticeable sign of cardiac disease in dogs. When the heart isn’t working properly, fluid may build up in the lungs, causing coughing. Also, a diseased heart may enlarge and put pressure on the windpipe, triggering coughing.Your senior dog may have a dry, hacking cough if it has cardiac disease.;
, With cardiac disease, blood can get backed up in the lung’s blood vessels. This can increase the pressure inside these vessels, causing small amounts of fluid to leak out of the vessels and into the airways.This fluid buildup in the airways can make breathing difficult.


If your senior dog has cardiac disease, it may start breathing rapidly or having difficulty breathing.Difficulty breathing would be indicated by increased efforts to inhale and/or exhale.
 Blood coming from the heart carries oxygen, which the muscles and organs need to work efficiently. If your dog has cardiac disease, that oxygen-rich blood coming from the heart can’t get to the rest of the body very well. Therefore, during exercise, your dog’s muscles won’t get enough oxygen, causing your dog to tire out more quickly.Your dog may be able to exercise for only a few minutes before needing to rest.
After a while, your dog may not want to exercise at all because it won’t have enough energy.
 Your dog’s pulse is what you feel when you place your fingers on one of your dog’s major arteries (blood vessels carrying blood away from the heart). In a dog with a healthy heart, the pulse will feel strong (but not bounding) and steady. However, if your dog has cardiac disease, its pulse may be rapid and weak.With cardiac disease, the heart may beat faster to try to get blood out to the rest of the body. However, the blood flow will not be very good, leading to a weak pulse.
 Heart failure is not a disease by itself. Rather, it is the final stage of heart disease, when the heart can no longer meet the body’s blood circulation needs.Signs of heart failure include blue or purple gums, a decreased appetite, weight loss, and an enlarged belly.The gums would be blue or purple because they are not receiving enough oxygen from the blood.
An enlarged belly would be due to a large accumulation of fluid.
 Sometimes, cardiac disease in dogs develops for years before any symptoms of the disease become noticeable. If you start seeing signs of cardiac disease in your dog, the disease may already be fairly advanced.Do not delay in taking your dog to the vet. During your appointment, provide your vet with some history of your dog’s symptoms:


What symptoms you’ve noticed
When you first noticed the symptoms
If the symptoms have gotten worse

, In addition to performing a regular physical exam, your vet will pay extra attention to your dog’s heart. With a stethoscope, your vet will listen to your dog’s heart to detect heart murmurs, which are abnormal heart beats. In senior dogs, a heart murmur usually occurs when the heart’s valves, which control blood flow through the heart’s chambers, aren’t working properly.Your vet will also be able to hear if your dog’s heart beat is too fast or too slow., To make a diagnosis of cardiac disease, your vet will also need to look at your dog’s heart. An easy way to do this is with a chest x-ray. A chest x-ray will also allow your vet to see the size and shape of your dog’s heart, as well as evaluate your dog’s lungs.For one type of cardiac disease in dogs, called dilated cardiomyopathy, the heart’s chambers get bigger and the heart’s muscles get weaker.Your vet would be able to see this enlargement on an x-ray.
If your dog has advanced cardiac disease in which the airways have a buildup of fluids, your vet would be able to see this change in the lungs on an x-ray.
 A heart ultrasound is called an echocardiogram. This procedure allows your vet to see your dog’s heart as it beats.This will help your vet determine which heart valves are not working properly, as well as get a ‘real time’ view of the heart's size and shape.


Mitral valve disease is the most common type of cardiac disease that vets see.The mitral valve controls blood flow from the left atrium (top chamber) to the left ventricle (lower chamber).
The tricuspid valve, which controls blood flow from the right atrium to right ventricle, can also stop working properly., The heart has electrical activity that helps control how blood flows through and out of the heart. An electrocardiogram (ECG) measures the heart’s electrical activity.When performing the ECG, your vet will be able to:Analyze the heart rhythm
Detect abnormalities with the heart rhythm
Potentially determine if your dog’s heart is enlarged

, A blood test called pro-BNP can sometimes be helpful in diagnosing cardiac disease in dogs.BNP is a protein found in the heart ventricles. It helps regulate blood pressure. Increased levels of BNP can indicate cardiac disease.This blood test may not be necessary if your vet can diagnose cardiac disease using the other diagnostic tests.
Take note of coughing.
Observe breathing challenges.
Detect difficulty with exercising.
Check your dog’s pulse.
Look for signs of heart failure.
Take your dog to the vet.
Have your vet listen to your dog’s heart.
Allow your vet to take chest x-rays.
Agree to a heart ultrasound.
Let your vet perform an electrocardiogram.
Discuss the need for a blood sample.
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