On past exams we had detected that Peppina had a heart murmur which can be an early sign of heart disease, and so we had been keeping a close monitoring of her.. A heart murmur can be the first sign of early heart disease, which can progress and lead to other clinical signs such as coughing, exercise reduction and collapsing spells.
Recently her Dad Tom, had noted that Peppina would occasionally have a “turn” where she seemed a little weaker and would sometimes fall over. Initially we thought she may have been having a mild seizure episode but on further observations at home she seemed to display signs of a syncopal (collapsing) episode.
Syncopal episodes are when the heart is not able to pump the blood to the brain effectively. The reduced oxygen levels leads to a fainting spell. On further discussion it was evident that Peppina’s was also slowing down and was tiring quickly even with her normal walks. She was still eating and happy generally but her reduced energy levels and collapsing episodes were a real cause for concern. We suspected her heart was progressing further and warranted an investigation.
- X-rays revealed that her heart was enlarged.
- An ultrasound showed an increase to one of the chambers within her heart and a faulty heart valve which was the cause of the heart murmur.
- A blood test also showed that she had higher than normal liver values which can be caused by increased blood pressure when the heart is not able to pump normally,
From the investigation we could see that Peppina’s heart was starting to weaken and was have trouble working normally.
Whilst sill in the early stages it was enough to cause her to have syncopal episodes.
Peppina was started on a heart medication called Vetmedin which helps to slow down the heart and help the heart muscle work more efficiently.
Even in the first week we could see a real improvement with her energy levels returning, she seemed happier and more active and her dad Tom was very happy.
We will keep a close watch on her progress and if needed we do have a range of other medications that can help manage any changes to her heart condition.
