HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – February is American Heart Month, and people’s hearts and their health are often the focus of attention from doctors and the media. However, just as humans have hearts, so do companion animals.
Unlike people, pets cannot diagnose themselves or go to the vets themselves, they need their human owners to provide them with that care.
Doctors recommend people get checked once a year by their primary care provider. Vets ask pet owners to do the same for their furry friends.
Shelby Pedigo, an associate veterinarian at Anicira in Harrisonburg, said pets can’t tell their owners what symptoms they’re experiencing. For a pet owner to ensure that their pet lives the longest life possible, they need to take their animal in for their annual check-up, especially for invisible conditions like heart disease. Pedigo said that animals showing symptoms of heart disease, are often past the point of no return for effective care.
Before a pet is diagnosed with a heart condition, Pedigo recommends speaking with a local vet tech about preventative care an owner can take for their pet.
“It’s recommended to make sure, especially in this area, that you give your pet a monthly preventative even in the colder months just because of the unpredictability of the weather we have here,” Pedigo said.
Although age is a risk factor for heart disease, both in pets and people, any pet of any age can develop a heart condition. Like people, some pets are born with heart conditions and need extra care throughout their lives.
“Age is not a determinant of heart disease. New pets, whether they’re new puppies, new kittens or there’s some pet that you just rescued from the shelter, having them seen and evaluated as soon as possible is really, really important, so that we can identify the things that we should be concerned about your particular pet,” said Pedigo.
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