Animal Cardiology Specialist Sacramento
At Watt Avenue Pet Hospital in Sacramento our philosophy centers on the belief that symptoms of heart disease are treatable. Our mission is to help referring veterinarians provide high quality health care to their patients and successfully manage cardiac conditions. With the advancements in cardiac medication, cardiac catheterization, and the help of dedicated owners and their referring veterinarians, cardiac patients can enjoy a high quality of life for many years.
What Is Veterinary Cardiology?
Veterinary Cardiology is the branch of medicine that treats diseases of the canine and feline cardiovascular system, which includes the pet’s heart and blood vessels. This encompasses such problems as canine and feline congestive heart failure, hypertension, dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and valvular disorders. Because the function of the pet’s heart and lungs are interrelated, veterinary cardiologists are also knowledgeable about lung disease as well as diseases of the chest cavity. A board certified veterinary cardiologist is a licensed veterinarian who has obtained intensive, additional training in veterinary cardiology and has been certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).
What Can Be Done if My Pet Has A Heart Problem?
Many of the same types of diagnostic tools and treatment options that are used to help keep human heart patients alive and healthy are also available to pets. For example, sophisticated diagnostic options (see box below) can help determine whether heart problems are present and, if so, assess their severity. Depending on your pet’s particular problem, cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, pacemaker implantation, and cardiac surgery to repair heart defects have all become relatively commonplace. In addition, many of the medications used in pets are similar to those that are also used in humans.
Will My Regular Veterinarian Still Be Involved?
In most cases, your regular veterinarian will still supervise your pet’s veterinary care. In other cases, your referral doctor may take over the majority of your pet’s medical care. It depends on your pet’s particular disease and condition.
Animals exhibiting one or more of the following symptoms should be examined by a veterinarian as all are clinical signs that can be associated with heart disease:
Difficulty breathing
Persistent coughing
Exercise intolerance
Fainting
Heart murmur
Fatigue or tiring easily
Abdominal distension
Cardiac Consultations
Our board-certified cardiologists provide complete cardiac examinations for referred patients and perform additional diagnostics, as needed, to enable comprehensive cardiovascular evaluations. Such diagnostic tests may include:
Echocardiography
Chest radiographs
Holter monitoring
Implantable EKG loop recording
Electrocardiograms
Blood pressure evaluation
Pericardiocentesis
OFA cardiac breed certifications
Contact Sacramento Veterinarian Dr. Susan Barrett Today To Learn More About Our Advanced Dentistry and State-of-the-Art Dental Operatory, call 916-482-4084. Watt Avenue Pet Hospital welcomes walk-ins!
Animal Cardiology Specialist Sacramento
At Watt Avenue Pet Hospital in Sacramento our philosophy centers on the belief that symptoms of heart disease are treatable. Our mission is to help referring veterinarians provide high quality health care to their patients and successfully manage cardiac conditions. With the advancements in cardiac medication, cardiac catheterization, and the help of dedicated owners and their referring veterinarians, cardiac patients can enjoy a high quality of life for many years.
What Is Veterinary Cardiology?
Veterinary Cardiology is the branch of medicine that treats diseases of the canine and feline cardiovascular system, which includes the pet’s heart and blood vessels. This encompasses such problems as canine and feline congestive heart failure, hypertension, dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and valvular disorders. Because the function of the pet’s heart and lungs are interrelated, veterinary cardiologists are also knowledgeable about lung disease as well as diseases of the chest cavity. A board certified veterinary cardiologist is a licensed veterinarian who has obtained intensive, additional training in veterinary cardiology and has been certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).
What Can Be Done if My Pet Has A Heart Problem?
Many of the same types of diagnostic tools and treatment options that are used to help keep human heart patients alive and healthy are also available to pets. For example, sophisticated diagnostic options (see box below) can help determine whether heart problems are present and, if so, assess their severity. Depending on your pet’s particular problem, cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, pacemaker implantation, and cardiac surgery to repair heart defects have all become relatively commonplace. In addition, many of the medications used in pets are similar to those that are also used in humans.
Will My Regular Veterinarian Still Be Involved?
In most cases, your regular veterinarian will still supervise your pet’s veterinary care. In other cases, your referral doctor may take over the majority of your pet’s medical care. It depends on your pet’s particular disease and condition.
Animals exhibiting one or more of the following symptoms should be examined by a veterinarian as all are clinical signs that can be associated with heart disease:
• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent coughing
• Exercise intolerance
• Fainting
• Heart murmur
• Fatigue or tiring easily
• Abdominal distension
Contact Sacramento Veterinarian Dr. Susan Barrett Today To Learn More About Our Advanced Dentistry and State-of-the-Art Dental Operatory, call 916-482-4084. Watt Avenue Pet Hospital welcomes walk-ins!
Cardiac Consultations
Our board-certified cardiologists provide complete cardiac examinations for referred patients and perform additional diagnostics, as needed, to enable comprehensive cardiovascular evaluations. Such diagnostic tests may include:
• Echocardiography
• Chest radiographs
• Holter monitoring
• Implantable EKG loop recording
• Electrocardiograms
• Blood pressure evaluation
• Pericardiocentesis
• OFA cardiac breed certifications
