Dr. Barret Bulmer is one of the veterinarians at the University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital who specializes in treating heart diseases of pets.
"The size of the pet, the species and the clinical signs help us identify the specific kind of heart disease", Bulmer explains. "In middle-aged to older, small breed dogs, the most common heart disease is mitral regurgitation caused by changes in the valve apparatus."
Goldendoodle dogs with moderate valvular disease may cough, have trouble exercising and be short of breath. If the disease progresses, the animal may experience decreased appetite, excessive weakness or "fainting" spells. In large-breed dogs, the most common type of heart disease is dilated cardiomyopathy with or without atrial fibrillation. Doberman Pinschers and Boxers especially appear to be prone to this disease. The signs seen in these dogs are similar to those seen in mitral regurgitation. "In DCM, failure of the heart muscle leads to reduced output of blood and congestive heart failure," Bulmer explains. "Fluid may accumulate in the abdomen, causing a bloated appearance. Alternatively, fluid may accumulate in the lungs, causing respiratory distress."
To diagnose heart disease, veterinarians use a variety of imaging modalities, such as radiography (X-ray) or echocardiography. This permits the vet to look for abnormalities
of the heart valves, enlargement of specific parts of the heart or other disease-related changes in size and function. Veterinarians also use EEGs to diagnose abnormal rhythms or electrical disturbances in the heart. These diagnostic methods help them determine the severity of the disease, appropriate therapeutic regimens and the prognosis for your doodle.
"The recommended treatment depends on the stage of the
disease," Bulmer says. "Your veterinarian may recommend
a diuretic to help reduce fluid accumulation in the lungs,
vasodilators to decrease blood pressure and workload on the
heart or anti-arrhythmics that help control abnormal heart
rhythms and improve heart function."
In some cases your pet may need heart surgery or even a pacemaker to correct the dysfunction. Helping your pet deal with heart disease also may include a change in diet,
reduction in physical activity and minimization of stress. (Sarah Probst, University of Illinois College of Veterinarian Medicine)
LAB FINDS MICROBES AT A GENETIC LEVEL.............
British researchers are hoping to make life a little easier for dogs. Dangerous microbes that are transmitted by bloodsucking ticks, fleas, mosquitos and other arthropods with the opening of the new acarus laboratory at Bristol University in Langford. Based on the Latin word for tick, acarus will use stage-of-the-
art DNA testing to provide fast, accurate identification of arthropod-transmitted microbes which cause a range of animal infections. The laboratory
will investigate the prevalence of arthropod-borne infections in companion animals using
polymerase chain reaction technology, which detects minute amounts of DNA from an organism that causes disease.
Researchers also will attempt to identify and characterize new arthropod-transmitted diseases in animals and determine the occurrence of infectious disease organisms in populations of carrier ticks and fleas.
The laboratory also hopes to develop research into the mechanisms of disease transmission by arthropod vectors and the effects the vectors may have on the host body, s well as develop expert information on the diseases themselves, their prevalence, treatment and prevention for use by vets, doctors, scientific research groups and the pet-owning public.
Traditionally arthropod-borne infectious diseases have been limited to specific geographical areas of the world, but the organisms are becoming more widespread.
The diagnosis of the diseases can be difficult due to the similarity of the symptoms to other diseases and the tendency for the organisms to mask themselves inside the host body.
The laboratory is being founded by the university in conjunction with Merial, an animal health company, and Symbiotic, a veterinary diagnostics company. The project will be run by a group of medical and veterinary scientists headed by Susan Shaw, a lecturer in dermatology and applied immunology in the department of clinical science at Bristol.
The opening of acarus is especially timely in light of the recent changes in the British quarantine regulations that have kept the United Kingdom isolated from many infectious diseases in the past.
"Harmful microbes transmitted by bloodsucking arthropods used to be confined to mainly tropical countries", Shaw says. "But, though still unusual in the United Kingdom, there is growing evidence that they are spreading nearer to home, bringing with them serious infections for animals and human."
As seen in the dog world magazine Oct. 2000 issue
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