Cardiology covers the science of the heart. Dr. Nancy Ridder enjoys this field and specializes in this area. Diagnostic tests and treatments have improved immensely in this field. Some of the treatments have been shown to actually slow down the progression of the disease. If your pet has a heart murmur, or other signs of heart disease such as tiring easily, coughing, trouble breathing or fainting, a cardiology work-up is suggested. A full work up can be done at our clinic and may include:
- Physical examination
- Radiography
- Blood tests, mainly to see how the heart disease is affecting the rest of the body or rule out possible causes of the heart disease
- Electrocardiography
- Ultrasonography
An interesting case a couple of years ago entailed placing a pacemaker in a dog. (Shown in x-ray above) An 8-year-old Schnauzer named Max, was showing signs of being tired all the time and his heart rate was much too slow. We diagnosed a 3rd degree heart block. This is treated with a pacemaker that sets a faster, more normal heart beat. A call to the company that makes pacemakers provided us with a pacemaker and equipment to make sure it was working at the right speed for the dog. The company was very interested in the case, since this is not done very often in dogs. With the equipment we have at the clinic, we were able to place the pacemaker and give Max a normal life, until he passed away from other causes.
