Insuficiência cardíaca esquerda em cães

Abstract

Left heart failure in dogs occurs when the heart is not able to pump blood adequately to the animal's body, and can be caused by systolic or diastolic dysfunction. The dog will present gradual shortness of breath, which will start with great physical exertion and will reach the point where the animal shows signs even at rest. With the worsening comes orthopnea, shortness of breath when lying down and even the so-called paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, when the animal wakes up during the night due to shortness of breath that forces it to sit down in search of relief. Physical and complementary exams can be used for the diagnosis of the disease, which, if performed early, will positively influence the results of the treatment. However, there is no cure for this disease, effective treatment will only result in survival time, with reasonable quality.