Common circulatory problems that may effect behavior:
* Heart Disease: Heart disease refers to any and all chronic (happens over a long period of time) or progressive (continually gets worse) issues with the heart. Though the causes and diagnosis may differ, the symptoms of heart disease are fairly consistent. What it may look like: Heart disease may cause many different symptoms that are also common symptoms of other health issues. Owners should take their dog to the vet if the symptoms cannot be explained by other means, last longer than a couple days, or seem to interfere with the dog’s quality of life at all. Common signs of heart disease may include: exercise intolerance, seeming “depressed”, aloof or not as involved in usual activities, panting or rapid breathing when not exercising, coughing, anxiety and restlessness - especially at night, decrease in appetite, swelling in the abdomen, chest or legs, fainting, blue gums and tongue, infections in toes or tips of tail due to poor blood perfusion. Some types of heart disease cause a slow pounding heart rhythm, while others cause fast and faint heart rhythms. Some heart diseases cause skips in the beat that can be felt. An owner may describe their dog as seeming more disinterested in play, other dogs, “cuddling” and eating, and think their pet is depressed. Heart disease that is structural (meaning due to a valve malformation, for example) may see signs very early on in their dog. Most heart disease, however, present in mid to late life, and is exacerbated by obesity, stress, lack of sleep and poor diet, especially diets too high in salt and fat. Any breed can get heart disease, although it seems to be more common in pure breds, vs mutts, and most common in toy breeds and large to giant breeds. - Traditional Treatments and effects on training and behavior: There are many different afflictions of the heart, so this would depend on the diagnosis, but common treatments are heart friendly diet changes (which still typically tend to be commercially processed kibble or canned food), medications that act as diuretics (causing increased urination), change the rhythm of the heart, cause blood vessels to dilate, or do other things. Heart drugs may cause various symptoms from lethargy to frequent urination (including house soiling). -Alternative Treatments: Depending on what stage of heart disease the dog is in, traditional drugs may be unavoidable, but many holistic vets have had positive results with using alternative methods either in conjunction with, or in place of drugs. Research has proven the All material Copyright to Author (HM), printing or distribution of this material prohibited.