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Symptoms And Treatment Of Heart Disease

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Heart disease is not as rare of a disease found in dogs as many think. About 10% of dogs are diagnosed with heart disease at some point in their life (Tudor, 2012). It is not limited to only one breed or size but instead it affects a wide range of canines. There are two main categories of heart disease, congenital and acquired.
Congenital is the type of heart disease that is acquired at birth or is in some way hereditary. Acquired heart disease is more common in older animals, or animals with injury and infection of the heart (Tudor, 2012). The most common acquired heart disease is chronic vulvular disease. Because the heart is so important to life, heart disease should not be taken lightly. The heart pumps blood containing oxygen and other essential nutrients through the body to the organs and the cells. Most conditions that affect the heart involve decreased effectiveness of the ability of the heart to pump blood through the body (Tudor, 2012).
The heart is a very detrimental organ to the body not only because it helps the body with oxygen, but also the blood supply goes straight to the other organs that are essential for life such as the liver and the kidneys. If the heart is not working properly it is likely to cause problems in the other organs. As it is not common for animals to get organ transplants, if the kidneys shut down due to heart problems that creates a whole new problem. Although it attributes to only a small portion of diagnosed heart disease cases it is

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