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A veterinarian is warning us about four family-favorite dog breeds that are prone to heart disease – the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Boxer, and Dobermann.
The vet from the UK, who goes by the name “Ben The Vet” on TikTok, shares a lot of important information about pet health on his account.
And in one of his videos, he shares “4 dog breeds at higher risk of heart disease”. Ben start the video with the Dobermann.
He explains that a “shocking statistic” of over 58% of Dobermanns over the age of seven have Dilated Cardiomyopathy – a disease where the muscular wall of the heart becomes thinner and weaker.
“Unfortunately, often, there are no signs of the problem and the dog can just drop dead in the park,” Ben said.
He suggests that Dobermann owners brings their dog to the vet to have them screened as early as two or three years old.
Next on Ben’s list is the Boxer. This dog breed is predisposed to a lot of different heart conditions.
And one problem that he highlighted is the Aortic or Subaortic Stenosis. It is where blood exits the heart to the rest of the body and causes a narrowing.
He explains, “Most cases are mild and there are no clinical signs. We might just hear a heart murmur on examination at the vet’s. But in severe cases it can lead to collapse when exercising and even sudden death.”
On the bright side, Ben shares that breeders are well aware of this condition and its prevalence is “shown to be decreasing significantly” in the breed.
Next on the list is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. “Awesome little dogs, terrible hearts,” Ben puts in a nutshell.
“By the age of 10, up to 90% of Cavalier Charles Spaniels have mitral valve disease, which is a condition where one of the valves in the heart starts to degenerate and become leaky.”
He also reveals that this is the cause of death for a lot of Cavaliers by further explaining, “This is usually detected initially with a heart murmur but eventually can lead on to the dog going into heart failure, developing a cough and breathing abnormalities.”
Ben tells Cavalier owners that if their dog has a murmur, then they should definitely discuss this with their dog’s vet.
And last but not the least, and probably the dog breed from the list that most families love having, is the Golden Retriever.
Ben shares that he has included the breed on the list not because they’re highly susceptible to any heart problem, but because of their increased likelihood of developing a condition called Pericardial Effusion.
“It is a condition where fluid builds up in the sac around the heart. Often, it builds up slowly, gradually leading to a point where the heart can’t pump blood very effectively.”
He reveals that while this health problem is rare and he has only ever seen two cases of it, “interestingly, they were both Golden Retrievers.”
