A heart attack is the necrosis of a specific area of the heart muscle caused by coronary artery disease. An accurate diagnosis can only be made after an autopsy. Heart attacks in dogs occur for a number of reasons.
Instructions
Step 1
The most common cause of myocardial infarction in dogs is hormonal disorders that occur with age. Failure of metabolic processes also leads to a thickening of the walls of blood vessels due to deposits of adipose tissue, which entails ischemic disease. A blood clot in a coronary artery, vascular inflammation (vasculitis), congenital anomalies - all this also provokes a heart attack. Signs of the disease are: shortness of breath, unsteady gait or unwillingness to get up, cyanosis of the mucous membranes, chest pain, palpitations, decreased blood pressure.
Step 2
Having noticed similar symptoms in his dog, the owner should immediately take the pet to a veterinary clinic or call a doctor at home. Before that, you need to leave the dog alone, provide a quiet and comfortable place. The first thing the veterinarian should do is examine the animal and make a diagnosis. It is necessary to exclude possible cardiac pathologies that have the same clinical picture. It is possible to identify a heart attack using a special echocardiograph device. There is another method for determining myocardial infarction - angiography. But the procedure requires the introduction of anesthesia, which is dangerous for a sick dog. Therefore, it is important to determine exactly what really happened to the pet. To make a diagnosis, you will need to take a blood test and measure your blood pressure.
Step 3
To relieve shock and acute pain, antianginal drugs are used, heparin is administered to prevent blood clots. Vitamin therapy and a strict diet are prescribed without fail. All fatty and spicy foods, as well as sweets, should be excluded from the diet. Carbohydrate, fortified, easily digestible foods are best suited.
Step 4
A caring owner should remember that the dog should not be subjected to strong physical exertion, hypothermia and overheating, stress. It is necessary to make preventive vaccinations in a timely manner in order to avoid infectious diseases. Recovery after a heart attack with timely assistance does not last long. This is due to the fact that the dog's heart has many collateral vessels, and they distribute the load among themselves, replacing the damaged vessels.
