If you’re a dog owner, you realize that your pet is part of the family and it should be your goal to keep him healthy and happy. How can you tell whether or not you dog has heart disease? The answer is initially, you probably can’t.  You should visit your vet regularly. If the problem is detected early, your dog can still live a long life.

There are two different types of heart disease in dogs.

1. The dogs valve can not longer close properly causing abnormal blood flow.

2. The muscular walls of your dogs heart become thin and weakened.

These conditions can develop over time and eventually cause heart failure.

This happened with my dog. There were no symptoms until he was about 11 years old.  I noticed a cough and a lack of energy. I immediately took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with heart failure.

Pet medication did help for a while but I noticed that he was getting weaker and weaker. I had to carry him down and up steps. After going through extraordinary measures to keep him going, he eventually passed away peacefully.  The earlier that heart disease is detected, the longer and more comfortable life your dog will live.  Don’t wait for symptoms like I did, have your dog checked specifically for any sign of heart disease.