February is American Heart Month—a time when hearts are top of mind. While candy conversation hearts are ubiquitous this time of year, I’m focusing on a different kind of heart: the one inside your dog or cat’s chest that pumps blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients while taking away carbon dioxide and waste products.

To help raise awareness, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center featured Dr. Erin Achilles, Senior Veterinarian and board-certified veterinary cardiologist, on this month’s Ask the Vet podcast. This blogpost summarizes her expert recommendations to promote heart health in your dog and cat.

Schedule Yearly (or Twice-Yearly) Veterinary Examinations

Regular veterinary exams are one of the most important steps in protecting your pet’s heart health.

As an American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)-accredited hospital, AMC follows the AAHA guidelines for pet care, which recommend:

• Annual examinations for pets through adulthood
• Twice-yearly examinations for senior pets

Because pets age more rapidly than we do, more frequent checkups help detect problems early.

Cats are generally considered senior when they are 10 years of age or older. Because of the variation in dog life spans, some dogs may not be considered senior until 12 years of age, while others might be senior at 8 years old.

Why Heart Screening Matters

During a physical exam, a veterinarian performs auscultation—using a stethoscope to listen to the heart beat. This simple but important test can detect abnormal heart rhythms and heart murmurs.

AAHA guidelines and Dr. Achilles also recommend a blood test called a pro-BNP to screen for heart disease. This test is recommended yearly for senior pets and can be considered for specific indications such as an upcoming anesthetic event or if there is clinical concern for heart disease.

If auscultation or the pro-BNP are abnormal, a visit with a board-certified veterinary cardiologist is in order.

Give Heartworm Preventative Year-Round

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.

Both Dr. Achilles and the Companion Animal Parasite Council recommend year-round heartworm preventative for dogs, even in the Northeast.

Why year-round heartworm prevention?

• Global warming makes the heartworm-carrying mosquito season longer, increasing the risk of heartworm transmission from a mosquito bite.
• Travel to warmer climates exposes pets to year-round heartworm risk.

Keep Your Pet at a Healthy Body Weight

A healthy body weight puts less stress on your pet’s heart and supports overall health. Regular exercise and proper nutrition are key components in maintaining healthy body weight.

To understand what a healthy body weight looks like, check out the resources below from AMC’s Usdan Institute for Animal Health Education.

• Obesity in Cats
• Obesity in Dogs

A Heartwarming AMC Story

To read a heart-warming story featuring AMC’s Dr. Rob Hart repairing a tiny ticker in a kitten, visit: Healing a Tiny Heart: An AMC Love Story – From “Hart to Heart”.