Things You'll Need:
- Heartworm medication
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Step 1
Watch the dog's sleeping pattern. The most obvious change in dogs are a lack of energy. Dogs effected by congestive heart failure undergo extra stress to their bodies. This causes them to tire sooner and will sleep more.
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Step 2
Look for changes in the amount the dogs eat. Dogs effected by congestive heart failure will have a poor appetite. This will lead obvious weight loss.
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Step 3
Watch for physical symptoms. The dog may begin to experience trouble breathing, start painting and coughing. At times, a dog's stomach may swell as fluid accumulates in the liver and stomach. The dog's mouth may change from a healthy pink to a gray color. Sometimes their heartbeat can be seen in the jugular veins of the neck.
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Step 4
Take your dog to a veterinarian. Only a veterinarian can make the final diagnosis. In order to do so, they will probably run a battery of tests from listening to the heart beat to chest x-rays to see the shape of the heart. Instead of the normal shape of a heart, an affected dog's heart will be much larger and rounded. Sometimes a electrocardiograms (EKG) will show heart problems before the x-rays will. Some of the test that a veterinarian may do such as a urine chemistry tests is not used to see if the heart is malfunctioning instead it will tell how medications may react to the body.
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Step 5
Understand that while there is nothing that will cure congestive heart failure, there are measures that can slow the rate of progression down. A veterinarian can prescribe medications along with giving suggestions for a change of lifestyle that will help the dog live longer.
