What is tachycardia?
The word tachycardia comes from the Greek “tachus”, fast, and “cardia”, heart. Tachycardia therefore designates an acceleration of the heart rate in dogs.
Rapid contractions of the heart respond to nerve stimulation in the form of electrical impulses. This stimulation can come from:
- of the atria or atria of the heart and we then speak of atrial or atrial tachycardia,
- of the ventricular tissues of the heart and we then speak of ventricular tachycardia. This is a cardiac emergency due to possible progression to ventricular fibrillation and death of the animal,
- of the tissues above the ventricles of the heart. Tachycardia is called supraventricular.
What causes tachycardia in dogs?
In dogs, as in all living beings, an acceleration of the heart rate can occur as a result of muscular effort. The acceleration of the heart thus allows blood to be pumped more quickly to bring more oxygen to the muscles that need it.
After stopping physical exertion and after a short recovery phase, the heart rate slows down to return to normal. An episode of stress can also cause a transient increase in heart rate in dogs.
It happens, however, that pathologies cause an abnormal acceleration because permanent, excessive and / or by flares, of the heart rate outside of a physical effort, an excitation or an episode of stress in the dog.
There are many conditions that cause tachycardia in dogs. It can be:
- an episode of fever secondary to an infection,
- hyperthyroidism,
- low blood pressure,
- heart failure,
- cardiac pathology such as dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, bacterial endocarditis, cardiac tumor or endocardiosis,
- septic shock,
- anemia,
- hypoxia,
- dilation-torsion syndrome of the stomach,
- hypokalemia.
Tachycardia can also be caused by taking medication or the manifestation of pain or anxiety felt by the dog.
Finally, some dogs can be affected by a form of tachycardia called paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, the origin of which could be hereditary.Certain dog breeds are also more often affected, such as the Boxer, the Golden Retriever and the Labrador. The disease progresses to heart failure.
How does tachycardia manifest in dogs?
A pathological tachycardia in dogs can be manifested by:
- intolerance or even weakness on exertion,
- breathing difficulties,
- dizziness or fainting,
- pallor of the mucous membranes,
- a weak femoral pulse,
- and sometimes seizures.
Tachycardic dog: what to do?
Faced with signs of tachycardia in your dog, the only thing to do is to consult a veterinarian without delay. Only he will be able to confirm the diagnosis with the help of a clinical examination and additional tests.Depending on the origin of the tachycardia, which he will endeavor to determine at the same time, he will thus be able to set up a treatment which, in the vast majority of cases, will target the cause of the increase in heart rate. .