Pet Owner FAQ

There are just seven cardiologists in Australia. Two of these cardiologists plus a senior cardiology resident and a first-year cardiology resident make up the team at VCA working from the two VSS hospitals in Brisbane and Carrara. When you come to see us at VCA, your pet will be treated with compassion and benefit from the many years of experience VCA offers.

The cardiologists at VCA work closely in a collaborative manner to provide a world class level of cardiac care. We also work alongside our specialist colleagues in other fields when required within the large multi-disciplinary VSS hospitals to provide complete pet care options. The team at VCA utilises the most advanced ultrasound and diagnostic systems available in human and veterinary cardiology to provide the best possible care for your pet. Our goal is always to work as a team with your primary care veterinary to offer life-long care and support, rather than just a diagnosis and a report.

• Most mobile specialists that perform cardiac ultrasound are not cardiologists
• We are available 5 days a week for urgent appointments. If your vet determines that a same-day appointment is required, please call (or you can ask your vet to call on your behalf) Veterinary Specialist Services and advise them of the urgency. Serious cardiac disease often can’t be delayed when urgent specialist care is required.
• Non-mobile ultrasound systems provide a more advanced imaging capability
• Direct face-to-face consultations with your cardiologist at admission and discharge of your pet
• We provide the only multi-cardiologist team in Australia. This allows collaboration and exchange of perspectives to optimise your pet’s outcome
• We provide the only interventional surgery service in Queensland for correction of congenital defects and for pacemaker implantation
• Direct access to and collaboration with the ICU (PICU) and emergency services (AES) at Veterinary Specialist Services (VSS)
• Same-day collaboration with a wide range of other specialists within the VSS Team to provide a complete solution to improve your pet’s quality and length of life

Breathing rate monitoring:

Counting your cat’s breathing rate when sleeping is a very valuable tool that can be used to ensure that your cat has no fluid on their lungs due to heart failure.

Count your pets breathing for 30 seconds (one rise and fall of the chest = one breathe) then double this number for a rate per minute

When cat’s pant or open-mouth breathe, this is usually considered to be an emergency presentation that requires immediate attention. Cats with breathing difficulties will often use their abdominal muscles to breathe and will be uncomfortable lying on their side to rest or sleep.

Fluid that accumulates in the lungs with congestive heart failure doesn’t come and go. Once it comes, it persists until medication is administered to eliminate it. Until then breathing is necessarily rapid because the lungs simply don’t work properly when there is fluid present.

If you’re worried about your cat’s breathing being rapid or laboured, please bring them that same day to your veterinarian, an emergency service or VCA for x-rays.

Cats may cough with heart disease, however frequent coughing is more likely to be associated with airway disease, like bronchitis. A consultation and X-rays with your veterinarian or an emergency clinician will help to exclude cardiac disease as a cause of the cough.

At the time of consultation with VCA, we will provide several options with dietary information and advice to match the level of cardiac disease, type of cardiac disease and also take into account other concurrent conditions such as kidney function and weight issues.

Cats with mild or moderate heart disease can eat normal diets.

Cats with more advanced heart disease will require diets with reduced salt combined with the right protein and energy requirements. Omega 3 fatty acids are also helpful for many patients to reduce the loss of muscle (cardiac cachexia) that comes with advanced heart disease. In rare cases, some forms of heart disease occur due to amino-acid deficiencies or other diet issues. If we diagnose this type of heart disease, the heart disease can be effectively treated and cured by simply treating the diet deficiency.

Yes is the answer for most pets with heart disease!

Many of our feline patients come to us for assessment of their heart disease because their vet is concerned about the risk of anaesthesia for procedures such as dentistry.

The risk of having an anaesthetic is dependent on the type and the severity of the heart disease. We will be able to comprehensively discuss the risks associated with anaesthesia with you following our assessment. Our advice will also be passed on to your vet, with recommendations regarding safe anaesthesia protocols and intravenous fluid rates.

A minority of cats will require an anaesthetist to manage the anaesthesia in conjunction with a specialist dentist or other surgeon, depending on what procedure is required.

In rare cases, we will advise against anaesthesia because the risk outweighs the benefit of the procedure.

Multivitamin supplements, nutritional supplements, Co-enzyme Q10, and non-Western herbal supplements have all been used for heart disease treatment in cats. Unfortunately, none have been examined critically to determine if they have potential to help or harm cats with heart disease.

At VCA we will always keep an open-mind and will work together with alternative therapy veterinarians to ensure that there are no adverse interactions between the traditional medications and the alternative therapies that may have been recommended by other veterinarians.

For most cats, the answer is no!

As a general statement, cats that are on correct types and doses of heart medications will have no fluid on their lungs and therefore will feel happy and act normally.

Unfortunately for a minority of cats, a stroke or blood clot may occur as a part of their disease. This most commonly travels to their hindlimbs and is painful for the first 24-48 hours. This is more likely to occur in cats with heart disease that have not yet been diagnosed and are therefore not on blood thinners to reduce the risk of a clot forming

For some of our feline patients there will come a time when the medications are no longer able to keep the lungs clear of fluid. This is a difficult time for owners and vets. If this time comes, we hope that with good communication and accurate information, owners will feel reassured that they have done all that they can for their cat and will feel as though they can make a decision they are at peace with if euthanasia needs to be considered.

Breathing rate monitoring: Counting your dog’s breathing rate when sleeping is a very valuable tool that can be used to ensure that your pet has no fluid on their lungs due to heart failure. Count your pets breathing for 30 seconds (one rise and fall of the chest = one breathe) then double this number for a rate per minute. All dogs will breathe fast at times and there will be times when you dog will breathe fast although appearing to be asleep, perhaps because he’s not deeply asleep or because he’s having doggy dreams.

The important question to answer is “Can your dog breathe slowly?”. Any time your dog shows you that they can breathe slowly and take fewer than 30 breaths/minute, they are telling you that their lungs are dry. Fluid that accumulates in the lungs with congestive heart failure doesn’t come and go. Until then breathing is necessarily rapid because the lungs simply don’t work properly when there is fluid present.

If you’re worried about your dog’s breathing being rapid, give them the opportunity to show you differently by checking it when they appear to be deeply sleeping. If it remains faster than 30 breaths/ minute throughout sleep or if your pet can’t settle, it may mean that fluid is starting to accumulate in their lungs. You’ll need to see VCA, an emergency service or your regular vet for x-rays on the same day you confirm the rapid breathing issues. If your pet ever has laboured breathing, this is an emergency and immediate veterinary attention is needed.

A heart murmur is typically a “whooshing” sound heart by your vet with a stethoscope. A minority of pets with heart murmurs have no heart disease ie an innocent murmur. However, most murmurs indicate that cardiac disease is present. An ultrasound of the heart (echocardiography) by a cardiologist will determine if this is going to be cause for concern. Many pet owners find peace of mind having an accurate diagnosis because in some cases the heart disease is less concerning than they had imagined. For patients with more serious heart disease, there is also a peace of mind knowing that you can now provide the best possible care for you furry family member!

Yes if : we have diagnosed that the level of heart disease is mild or moderate. For many dogs with mild or moderate heart disease, there are very few limitations imposed by this diagnosis. You won’t hurt your dog by exercising them and their heart is not going to slow them down. No if: we have diagnosed advanced heart disease. These patients typically will be taking medications for their heart disease. Based on our diagnosis, we will tailor a reduced exercise plan that allows your dog to still enjoy gentle walks without causing further heart problems.

Yes is the answer for most pets with heart disease! Many of our patients come to us for assessment of their heart disease because their vet is concerned about the risk of anaesthesia for procedures such as dentistry. The risk of having an anaesthetic is dependent on the type and the severity of the heart disease. We will be able to comprehensively discuss the risks associated with anaesthesia with you following our assessment.

Our advice will also be passed on to your vet, with recommendations regarding safe anaesthesia protocols and intravenous fluid rates. A minority of dogs will require our specialist anaesthetist to manage the anaesthesia in conjunction with a specialist dentist or other surgeon, depending on what procedure is required. In rare cases, we will advise against anaesthesia because the risk outweighs the benefit of the procedure.

Just like in human families, heart disease in dogs may be inherited. If you have a related pet, please take your pet to your veterinarian for them to check for any signs of heart disease, such as a heart murmur. If your vet finds evidence of heart disease, a referral to VCA will provide an accurate diagnosis and advice regarding the best approach.

Multivitamin supplements, nutritional supplements, Co-enzyme Q10, and non-Western herbal supplements have all been used for heart disease treatment in dogs. Unfortunately, none have been examined critically to determine if they have potential to help or harm dogs with heart disease. At VCA we will always keep an open-mind and will work together with alternative therapy veterinarians to ensure that there are no adverse interactions between the traditional medications and the alternative therapies that may have been recommended by other veterinarians.

Humans with mitral valve disease undergo mitral valve replacement or repair. Studies are currently underway in dogs to insert prosthetic valves and reduce the size of the leak between the valve leaflets with implanted clips that hold the valve leaflets together. These are still in the experimental phase and not available or validated for our patients, but show promise for the future. If these procedures are demonstrated to be safe to perform in dogs, VCA will commence offering this surgical option to our clients.

Several cardiovascular surgeons are now doing valve repairs in dogs with mitral valve disease. There are centres in Japan, U.K., and France where this is being done. However, surgery is not a cure and the degenerative change in the valve will progress after valve correction, with current studies demonstrating that only 25% of patients are alive 2 years after undergoing this procedure. The cost of a repair is several tens of thousands of dollars, making it unaffordable for most dog owners. If your dog has advanced mitral valve disease, please contact us at VCA and we can discuss this option with you.

At VCA we offer state-of-the art options for the treatment of some forms of heart disease. We regularly perform non-invasive, fluoroscopically-guided procedures to fix birth defects of the heart including patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonic stenosis, tricuspid stenosis and cor triatriatum dexter.

Non-invasive procedures are performed via the jugular vein, femoral vein or femoral artery, allowing patients to experience only mild discomfort and they are always enthusiastic about being able to go home the next day. Most patients will go on to enjoy a normal length and quality of life. Pacemakers are also a routine procedure at VCA for dogs that are fainting due to slow heart rates.

The most common cardiac disease in dogs is aging of the mitral valve . Much like arthritis, this is a slowly progressing disease that affects older dogs. Optimal monitoring and treatment when appropriate will delay the development of heart failure and most dogs will not develop congestive heart failure within their life-times. However, for those dogs that have advanced disease with fluid on the lungs, this is a terminal diagnosis with life-expectancy of 6-12 months. However, during this period of time cardiac patients typically enjoy a good quality of life.

No. Fortunately, dogs don’t experience chest pain (because they don’t have coronary artery disease) and don’t have strokes due to heart disease. For dogs with mitral valve disease (the most common cause of cardiac disease) sudden death is also rare. As a general statement, patients that are on correct types and doses of heart medications will have no fluid on their lungs and therefore will feel happy. For a minority of patients there will come a time when the medications are no longer able to keep the lungs clear of fluid. This is a difficult time for owners and vets. If this time comes, we hope that with good communication and accurate information, owners will feel reassured that they have done all that they can for their pet and will feel as though they can make a decision they are at peace with if euthanasia needs to be considered.

A cough can occur from many causes. Unfortunately, the type of cough (or even what a veterinarian hears with their stethoscope) does not tell us the cause of the cough.

Likely not heart disease: A cough that occurs in a pet with a normal breathing rate (see above) is less likely to be due to heart disease.

Likely heart disease: A cough that occurs in a pet with a sleeping breathing rate of > 30 breathes/min is at a high risk of having heart disease – or some other urgent cause of poor airway/lung function

At the time of consultation with VCA, we will provide several options with handout information sheets and advice to match the level of cardiac disease, type of cardiac disease and also take into account other concurrent conditions such as kidney function and weight issues. Dogs with mild or moderate heart disease can eat normal diets. Dogs with more advanced heart disease will require diets with reduced salt combined with the right protein and energy requirements. Omega 3 fatty acids are also helpful for many patients to reduce the loss of muscle (cardiac cachexia) that comes with advanced heart disease. In rare cases, some forms of heart disease occur due to amino-acid deficiencies or other diet issues. If we diagnose this type of heart disease, the heart disease can be effectively treated and cured by simply treating the diet deficiency.