Healthy Hearts Part I – Keeping Our Hearts Healthy
Veterinarian Reviewed on February 11, 2010 by Dr. Janice Huntingford
Today my human, Sage, posted about heart disease. Well just like in humans, pets too can suffer from unhappy hearts! When we’re pooping like crazy or have skin problems, its so easy to tell that we have an ailment. But not so with our thumping hearts. Unless we exhibit certain symptoms of cardiac distress, there’s not a lot telling you that we have heart trubb!
To the vet! To the vet! To the vet! I can’t yap this enough: take your pet to the vet at least once per year. Part of a vet visit is checking out our hearts, which can detect most ailments.
Some symptoms you can look for:
- coughing or hacking
- wheezing
- decreased energy or stamina
- edema
- abdominal bloat
- signs of poor cirulation
- fainting
Preventing Heart Disease In Pets
Luckily, preventing heart disease can be simple. Just like managing your own lifestyle, doing the same with pet can work wonders!
Common causes of heart disease in pets include:
- Eating foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol
- Leading an inactive lifestyle
- Being overweight
- Unhappiness and stress
Take a tip from your own lifestyle, humans! Feed your pet a healthy diet, give them plenty of exercise, and supplement with an herbal blend to keep your pet healthy! Take these tips to your own heart, too. You’ll all stay healthy together, longer!
And by the way, taking care of us pets can lower you human’s risk of having a heart attack, too. Lovely!
Photo Credit: piez
Our Expert
Dr. Janice HuntingfordJanice Huntingford, DVM, has been in veterinary practice for over 30 years and has founded two veterinary clinics since receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. She has studied extensively in both conventional and holistic modalities. Ask Dr. Jan
