Diagnosis of heart disease or heart failure is made using clinical signs, radiographs, ultrasound, and/or electrocardiogram findings. In addition to the classic clinical signs listed above, many forms of heart disease are accompanied by heart murmurs, which can be detected by a veterinarian on listening to the chest using a stethoscope.
A heart murmur is an irregular sound caused by the disruption of normal blood flow within the heart. By far the majority of heart murmurs heard are caused by diseases of the heart valves and the abnormal blood flow through these valves that results. Still other murmurs can originate from the defects in the heart muscle or vessels that alter normal blood flow. Unusually forceful and rapid heart contractions, such as those seen within overly excited animals or in pets suffering from anemia, can even lead to an irregular heart sound. Interestingly, murmurs are not commonly detected in dogs suffering from heart worm disease, even when their hearts are full of the parasites.
Heart murmurs are usually classified according to their intensity as heard through a stethoscope. A trained veterinarian can identify which portion of the heart is affected and arrive at a diagnosis just by pinpointing the area on the chest where the murmur is the loudest, and by determining when the murmur occurs, whether it is during the heart’s contraction phase, relaxation phase, or both.
A heart murmur is an irregular sound caused by the disruption of normal blood flow within the heart. By far the majority of heart murmurs heard are caused by diseases of the heart valves and the abnormal blood flow through these valves that results. Still other murmurs can originate from the defects in the heart muscle or vessels that alter normal blood flow. Unusually forceful and rapid heart contractions, such as those seen within overly excited animals or in pets suffering from anemia, can even lead to an irregular heart sound. Interestingly, murmurs are not commonly detected in dogs suffering from heart worm disease, even when their hearts are full of the parasites.
Heart murmurs are usually classified according to their intensity as heard through a stethoscope. A trained veterinarian can identify which portion of the heart is affected and arrive at a diagnosis just by pinpointing the area on the chest where the murmur is the loudest, and by determining when the murmur occurs, whether it is during the heart’s contraction phase, relaxation phase, or both.
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