This is a lovely golden retriever named Petunia. Petunia came to us approximately two weeks ago for lethargy, labored breathing, and generally not feeling well. After a thorough examination, radiographs, and bloodwork Dr. Burns summized that Petunia was suffering from heart failure.
Heart failure is defined as the inability of the heart to maintain sufficient blood circulation to meet the body's needs. Heart failure usually describes a failure of the heart muscle, (mycoardial failure) or heart valve (mitral valve insufficiency or MVI and can affect the right or the left ventricle. MVI is the most common cause of heart failure in dogs. Although it is more common in small dogs, it can occur in large breeds as well, like Petunia.


The top is an xray of Petunia's chest when she first came to us, on the bottom is her chest xray after one week of treatment. There are marked improvements seen in her lungs, and Petunia seems to be doing better. While there is no cure for heart failure, with the right medication and monitoring it can be medically managed.