A Valentine’s Message Regarding Your Pet’s Heart Health

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Cardiology Department at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services! It is our mission to keep your pet’s ticker in tip-top shape. We offer a full range of veterinary cardiology services including:

• Echocardiography or “echo”:

Echo is an ultrasound of your pet’s heart that allows us to more specifically identify and diagnose problems. We are also able to use advanced techniques in conjunction with this technology such as color Doppler or 3-D imaging to give us even more information.

• Electrocardiography (ECG):

An ECG is a heart tracing (you know, the one you see “flat-line” on monitors on television!). An ECG gives us information about how your pet’s heart is functioning and helps us learn more about any changes in its rhythm. In-hospital we are able to do this wirelessly.

• Heart monitoring:

Mobile monitors such as Holter monitors are available for your pet to wear to help identify problems that occur sporadically.

• Treatment:

Our experienced team of veterinary cardiologists can offer a wide range of palliative and curative treatments for all sorts of pet heart conditions, both acute and chronic. We also offer pericardial, thoracic, and abdominal fluid drainage (“centesis”) to help your pet be more comfortable.

Humans aren’t the only species with heart disease. While strokes and heart attacks are uncommon in our four-legged friends, dogs and cats suffer from many other types of heart problems. They can show up as a heart murmur or abnormal rhythm noted by your regular veterinarian at a visit, a cough or respiratory problem, even a collapsing episode. Your vet may also refer you for cardiac services due to other diseases that have been identified such as thyroid problems or high blood pressure. Whatever the issue, we are here to help! Once again, happy Valentine’s Day, from our hearts to yours!