Pericardial Diseases and Cardiac Cancer:

The pericardium is a sac that surrounds the heart and serves to protect the heart and major vessels. When diseased it can cause life-threatening restriction of the ventricles.

Pericardial effusion (fluid in the sac) is the most common type of pericardial disease. This may result from infection, congestive heart failure, hemorrhage due to trauma or cardiac rupture, or cancer.

Clinical signs may be absent and only detected by auscultation . Your veterinarian may hear muffled or displaced heart sounds. Other signs include vomiting and difficulty in breathing.

Diagnosis is based upon physical exam, x-ray, and ultrasound. Ultrasound is the most effective for diagnosis the effusion and for detecting pericardial and cardiac masses.

Treatment involves relieving the cardiac compression by removing the fluid with a needle placed into the sac. Surgery may be required. The prognosis is based upon the underlying cause.

Thrombosis:

Thrombosis is a blood clot in a vessel obstructing blood flow.

The diagnosis is based upon clinical signs, index of suspicion, and use of a doppler to measure blood flow in certain situations.

Treatment includes removal or disintegration of the clot, controlling the underlying disorder, and supportive care to damage tissues. The prognosis is poor.

Congenital heart diseases:

Congenital heart disease is the most common heart disease in animals less than one year of age.

The scope of this article is to list these diseases. Please consult with your veterinarian or a veterinary cardiologist regarding these diseases.

These include patent ductus arteriosis, subvalvular stenosis, pulmonic stenosis, valvular dysplasia, atrial and ventral septal defects, and pericardial diaphragmatic hernias.

Signs include that of congestive heart failure.

Diagnosis is based on physical exam as a puppy or kitten. Auscultation may reveal a murmur. X-ray and ultrasound as well as angiocardiography (dye injection) are more definitive as to the type and severity of the disease

Treatment-

Referral to a cardiologist is the best course of treatment.

Arrhythmias (abnormal heart beats) are also diseases found in both cats and dogs and are beyond the scope of this article.