Heart, lungs & airways
Heart Health
Heart conditions in dogs and cats, from murmurs and valve disease to heart failure.
4 topics · 36 guides from PetsLikeMine
Who can help near you
- Your vet1 kind
- Specialists2 kinds
Listed by distance from you. Nobody pays to be listed.
Mitral Valve Disease
6 guides from PetsLikeMine
Understanding the ACVIM Stages of Mitral Valve Disease (A to D)"She's a stage B2." "He's in stage C now." A vet says it, hands you a leaflet, and the letter and number do most of the talking while you are left to work out what they…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Mitral Valve Disease Explained: The Leaky Valve Behind Most Canine Heart MurmursIf your vet has mentioned mitral valve disease, or told you the murmur they heard points to a "leaky valve", start here. By a wide margin it is the most common heart…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine When Mitral Valve Disease Becomes Heart Failure (Stage C)A murmur you have lived alongside for months or years has a way of fading into the background. Your dog has one, you keep half an eye on things, and life carries on much…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
8 guides from PetsLikeMine
Screening and Genetics: Maine Coons, Ragdolls and the proBNP TestThree different tests get talked about for feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and online they are often thrown together as if you could pick any one of them. A gene…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Saddle Thrombus: The Sudden Clot Every HCM Owner Should KnowA cat who seemed entirely well an hour ago is abruptly screaming in pain, dragging its back legs, and unable to stand. There is one feline emergency that frightens vets…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine HCM and Anaesthesia: Why Screening Before a Routine Op MattersMost cats sail through a neuter, a dental or a lump removal without a hitch, and modern feline anaesthesia is genuinely safe. There is one quiet exception worth…12 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 8 guides on this topic
- Preventing Clots: Clopidogrel and the FATCAT Evidence 11 min
- Feline HCM Explained: The Thickened Heart, and Why Cats Hide It 10 min
- When a Cat With HCM Goes Into Heart Failure 10 min
- Feline HCM: Prognosis, From Incidental Murmur to Managed Disease 10 min
- Living With a Cat With HCM: Monitoring, Stress and Rechecks 10 min
Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
7 guides from PetsLikeMine
When DCM Becomes Heart FailureDilated cardiomyopathy can run quietly for a long time. The heart muscle is weakening and the chambers are stretching, yet on the outside your dog looks well: eating…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine DCM Prognosis, and Why Catching It Early Changes the StoryHow long has my dog got? That is the question almost every owner asks within a minute or two of hearing the words "dilated cardiomyopathy", even when they can barely…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Screening at-risk breeds for DCM: Holters, echo and why catching it early mattersDilated cardiomyopathy can sit in a dog's heart for years before anything shows on the outside. Owners of Dobermans, Great Danes, Irish Wolfhounds and the other prone…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 7 guides on this topic
- Dilated cardiomyopathy explained: what DCM is, which dogs get it, and why it stays silent for so long 13 min
- Dobermans and Sudden Death: Arrhythmias, Monitoring, and What Can Be Done 10 min
- The Grain-Free Question: Diet-Associated DCM, Explained Fairly 10 min
- Living With a DCM Dog: Diet Correction, Exercise and Monitoring 9 min
Congestive Heart Failure
7 guides from PetsLikeMine
Recognising a Heart Failure Crisis: The Emergency Signs and Your Action PlanA heart failure crisis is fluid flooding into or around the lungs faster than the body or the medicines can cope, and it can come on over hours. If your pet has heart…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine The Heart Failure Medication Toolkit: Diuretics, Pimobendan and the RestWhen a pet tips into congestive heart failure, the prescription often jumps from one or two tablets to what looks like a small pharmacy. That escalation can land hard…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Congestive Heart Failure Explained: What It Is, What "Congestive" Means, and What You Can DoIf your vet has used the words "congestive heart failure", or you have seen them written on a discharge note, they can land like a verdict. They sound final, and they…12 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 7 guides on this topic
- Quality of Life with Heart Failure: Knowing When, and Saying Goodbye with Support 10 min
- A Low-Sodium Diet for Heart Failure: What to Feed and What to Avoid 11 min
- Managing Furosemide at Home: Dosing, Dehydration and the Rescue Protocol 11 min
- When Heart Failure Stops Responding: Advanced Options and Comfort 10 min
More guides
8 from PetsLikeMine
Diet and the Heart: Sodium, Taurine and the Supplements Worth It"Is there something I should be feeding, or not feeding?" That question turns up almost every time a pet is diagnosed with a heart problem, and it is a good instinct…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Is It a Heart Cough or an Airway Cough?A dog has a heart murmur, then starts to cough, and the two facts seem to lock together into one frightening conclusion. The words "heart" and "cough" sit so close in…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Heart Medications Explained: What Each Drug Actually DoesA heart diagnosis often comes home in a paper bag of tablets with names that sound far more alarming than they are. Pimobendan, furosemide, benazepril, spironolactone…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 8 guides here
- "The Vet Heard a Murmur": What It Means and What It Doesn't 11 min
- Heart Tests Explained: X-ray, Echo, ECG, Blood Pressure and proBNP 12 min
- How Your Pet's Heart Works, and What Can Go Wrong 11 min
- The Resting Respiratory Rate: The Most Useful Heart-Monitoring Skill You Can Learn at Home 10 min
- Working With a Veterinary Cardiologist: Referral, Costs and What to Expect 10 min
Find care near you
Your heart health care team
These are the practitioners this condition can call for, from your everyday vet to specialists and therapists. Enter your postcode to see who's near you at each step.
- Your vet (primary care)
Veterinary cardiologist ·Referral hospital
Understand the condition
Clinical background on vetcanon, the ConciergeVet reference library. Vetcanon is published by Concierge Vet LTD, which also operates PetCare Atlas.
With PetsLikeMine
Read the whole journey on PetsLikeMine
Every heart health guide, in order, sits in its own space on PetsLikeMine, written by owners and vets who have been through it. We show the first few here and link to the rest.
Read every heart health guide