What’s The Difference Between Heart Disease & Heart Failure In Dogs?
April 11th, 2009 | 
Author: My Cavalier has heart disease (I think it is MVD). She has been on tablets for several months for it. On the packet it says that they are for the treatment of heart failure in dogs. I used to think that heart failure was when the heart just stopped working and the dog died, but that is obviously not the case. What does heart failure actually mean? Thanks xx
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http://www.cavalierhealth.org/mitral_val...
This has lots of info.
Heart disease in cavaliers means the mitral valve(and occasionally the tricuspid valve)is diseased and leaking.Heart failure means the disease has progressed till the heart doesn’t pump efficiently and the fluid builds up in the lungs,also known as chf.
The most common drugs for mvd are ace inhibitors.enalapril and benazapril,with lasix added when failure occurs and pimobendan added as they hit later stages of the disease.
Try and find a vet experienced in heart disease.
Heart failure means the heart is not pumping efficiently to care for the needs of the body. Fluid can build up because the heart just cannot “keep up” with the needs of giving oxygen and transporting waste. Lasix is commonly given or another diuretic. Sometimes digoxin(lanoxin) is used.
The mitral valve malfunction is when the valve doesn’t completely close and “leaks”. As the valve degenerates over time, heart failure does occur.