Veterinary cardiologists at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine are sharing advice on how to detect and prevent cardiac disease in our dogs and cats.

While some pets are born with inherited heart problems that can be corrected with surgery and other treatments, others can develop heart disease as they get older, about 10% of all dogs and cats.

What are the signs of heart disease in pets? Some of them can be subtle. Here are a few to watch out for:

• A general slowing down (which can be confused with other problems like arthritis)
• Increased respiratory rate and effort
• Lethargy
• Lack of appetite
• Coughing in dogs, hiding in cats

The vets say that the breathing problems are concerning “because that may signal that the pet is in congestive heart failure where fluid builds up in the lungs or around the lungs.”

What can you do to prevent heart disease in your pet? The prevention tips for pets are like those for humans: keep them at a healthy weight and make sure they get exercise.

Pets also need heartworm prevention and regular veterinary checkups, so your vet can listen to your pet’s heart and detect problems.

Not all cardiac problems in pets are terminal, say the vets. “There are some heart murmurs that progress really slowly, or some heart murmurs that are relatively benign, and so serial monitoring of these pets is how we’ll determine how they’re going to progress.”

If you have concerns about your pet’s heart health, be sure to talk to your veterinarian.