Pete the Vet: Having a heart to heart about your pet's health

Each species of pet has its own variant of what goes wrong with their cardiovascular system.

Pete the Vet: Heart health in your pet. Almost every single Cavalier King Charles Spaniel suffers from leaky heart valves.

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have become common in public spaces in Ireland. They are there to save the lives of people who have heart attacks. Even untrained bystanders can use these in an absolute emergency. Someone recently asked me if these devices can be used to save the life of a dog – or a cat – that had collapsed with a heart issue.

The short answer is “no”, but the long answer is more interesting, highlighting the significant differences between pets and people when it comes to heart disease.