Because most cases of heart disease or failure are nonreversible, the treatment goal for any dog or cat suffering from such a condition is to create an environment that relieves some of the workload on the heart and slows the progression of the disease.
Canines and felines with bad hearts need to be fed special diets that are moderately restricted in sodium to help reduce blood pressure and discourage the accumulation of fluid within the lungs and/or the abdomen. Diets formulated especially for this purpose are available from veterinarians.
Diuretic drugs are also used in heart failure patients to help mobilize and eliminate excessive fluid that might be accumulating within the body. In many instances, this diuretic therapy, combined with a low-sodium diet, might be all that it takes to relieve the coughing and discomfort seen in affected pets. Remember that a dog or cat on diuretic medication will drink lots of water and urinate with greater frequency, so be sure to provide it with plenty of water to drink at all times, and be prepared for plenty of walks outside or frequent trips to the litterbox.
Medications designed to dilate the blood vessels, making it easier for the diseased heart to pump blood through them, are usually the next in line if the special diet and diuretics don’t seem to be enough to correct the problem.
If none of the treatment regimens described above prove effective, the final medicating step often taken to manage the heart failure is to give drugs designed to help slow and strengthen the heart’s contraction. Such medications can have many undesirable and serious side effects if a veterinarian does not carefully monitor therapy, but, on average, they will prolong the life of a pet in heart failure for an average of 4 to 6 months.
Canines and felines with bad hearts need to be fed special diets that are moderately restricted in sodium to help reduce blood pressure and discourage the accumulation of fluid within the lungs and/or the abdomen. Diets formulated especially for this purpose are available from veterinarians.
Diuretic drugs are also used in heart failure patients to help mobilize and eliminate excessive fluid that might be accumulating within the body. In many instances, this diuretic therapy, combined with a low-sodium diet, might be all that it takes to relieve the coughing and discomfort seen in affected pets. Remember that a dog or cat on diuretic medication will drink lots of water and urinate with greater frequency, so be sure to provide it with plenty of water to drink at all times, and be prepared for plenty of walks outside or frequent trips to the litterbox.
Medications designed to dilate the blood vessels, making it easier for the diseased heart to pump blood through them, are usually the next in line if the special diet and diuretics don’t seem to be enough to correct the problem.
If none of the treatment regimens described above prove effective, the final medicating step often taken to manage the heart failure is to give drugs designed to help slow and strengthen the heart’s contraction. Such medications can have many undesirable and serious side effects if a veterinarian does not carefully monitor therapy, but, on average, they will prolong the life of a pet in heart failure for an average of 4 to 6 months.
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