Like humans and dogs, horses can also suffer from poor heart performance. In heart failure, the heart is unable to pump enough blood through the body, resulting in a lack of oxygen supply to the cells and a backup of blood in the body and pulmonary circulation.
The heart consists of a muscle that forms a hollow chamber inside and contracts at regular intervals. From the outside, the heart is enclosed by a kind of membrane called the pericardium, and on the inside it is lined by the endocardium. The septum divides the heart into a left and right half, each of which consists of an atrium and a ventricle. The heart valves are located between the atria and ventricles and between the ventricles and the vessels. They act as valves to ensure that blood flows in the right direction. Blood vessels that carry blood to the heart are called veins. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.
The right half of the heart receives oxygen-poor blood from the body's circulation, which enters the right atrium via the vena cava. The blood flows through the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery to the lungs, where it is enriched with oxygen. Oxygen-rich blood then flows through the pulmonary vein into the left atrium, from there into the left ventricle, and is then pumped into the body's circulatory system via the aorta (= main artery) through powerful contractions (= contraction) of the heart muscle, supplying the entire body with oxygen-rich blood.
Heart failure can occur suddenly or develop gradually. The causes of such weakness can lie in the heart muscle itself or in another area of the horse's body.
Acute heart failure can occur in sport horses due to sudden overexertion. However, this usually happens after insufficient preparation or in cases of undiagnosed pre-existing damage. Such overexertion can also be caused by a difficult birth or attempts to stand up or free oneself that continue until exhaustion. Too much blood remains in the heart, leading to insufficient blood supply to vital organs and, due to the backflow of blood, to enlargement of the heart. The change in the heart itself is called dilatation.
Chronic heart failure is more of a gradual process that develops slowly and is caused by heart valve defects or chronic heart muscle or pericardial disease. In this condition, the heart can no longer pump blood from the body's circulatory system quickly enough, resulting in blood congestion.
The body is often able to compensate for heart failure over a long period of time. This means that the heart is already diseased, but no symptoms of the disease are noticeable because the heart muscle compensates for the malfunction by working harder. This extra work can be achieved through various mechanisms. For example, increasing the heart rate or stroke volume allows more blood to be transported per heartbeat. In addition, the heart muscle can thicken in order to pump blood into the circulatory system with more force. Furthermore, dilating the blood vessels can lower blood pressure to maintain metabolic functions. This condition is referred to as compensated heart failure. Compensated heart failure is often overlooked because there are no symptoms yet. Initial signs may include an elevated resting heart rate and a prolonged recovery phase after exertion. Such horses should undergo a veterinary heart examination as soon as possible.
If the damaged heart is no longer able to compensate for the reduced blood flow, a state of decompensated heart failure develops, accompanied by clear clinical symptoms. Classic symptoms of all cardiovascular diseases are physical weakness and loss of performance. If left untreated, decompensated heart failure can lead to collapse and sudden death of the animal. Depending on the cause and type of insufficiency, further symptoms may occur.
Acute heart failure manifests itself through general weakness, reluctance to move, drooping of the head, buckling of the hind legs, and even collapse. The skin and mucous membranes appear bluish due to the reduced blood flow, the limbs and ears feel cold, and both the heart and respiratory rates are significantly increased even at rest.
Due to its gradual development, chronic heart failure often remains undetected for a long time. The first symptoms are usually only noticeable after exertion. If the right side of the heart is primarily damaged, edema (fluid retention in the tissue) often occurs as a result of blood backing up into the veins. The increased pressure makes the vessel walls more permeable, allowing fluid to leak from the vessels into the tissue, where it accumulates. This edema is very common in the lower abdomen or limbs. Water can also accumulate in the abdominal cavity (ascites) or in the heart sac (pericardial effusion) in the same way. In left heart failure, the heart cannot pump enough blood from the pulmonary circulation into the systemic circulation, resulting in blood congestion in the lungs. Similar to body tissue, fluid accumulates in the lungs, which is referred to as pulmonary edema.
If you notice sudden weakness or a gradual decline in performance in your horse, do not hesitate to take your animal to the vet for examination as soon as possible.
In order to diagnose heart disease with certainty, the veterinarian will first conduct a thorough general examination and compile a detailed preliminary report on the onset, duration, type, and extent of the symptoms. They will then listen to your horse's heart with a stethoscope. This procedure, known as auscultation, provides important information about the heart rate, the rhythm of the heart sounds, and any abnormal heart murmurs. Listening to the lungs can also reveal whether there is water in the lungs. The vet will now be able to make a preliminary diagnosis.
To confirm the diagnosis and determine exactly what type of heart disease it is, various further examinations can be carried out, such as an ECG (electrocardiogram, see corresponding article), a blood gas analysis, catheterization, an X-ray, or an ultrasound examination.
Cardiac ultrasound is now considered standard in cardiological diagnostics and is used successfully by many specialists. With the help of state-of-the-art equipment, the size, structure, and composition of all areas of the heart can be visualized. Blood flow and valve function can also be assessed and measured using Doppler ultrasound.
A blood test can also be very helpful, especially to rule out other diseases. In some cases, it is necessary to perform a stress ECG on the affected horse to diagnose compensated heart failure.
The treatment of heart failure varies greatly depending on the type and extent of damage to the heart. Different medications may therefore be used. On the one hand, there are diuretics, which serve to drain fluid and thus reduce blood volume. Cardiac glycosides improve the strength and ejection capacity of the heart. Another group of drugs is used to lower blood pressure and thus relieve the heart. Vasodilators cause the blood vessels to dilate, which also lowers blood pressure.
Heart rhythm disorders are treated with special medications that restore normal electrical activity in the heart. In the case of bacterial heart disease, antibiotic preparations are prescribed, which must be administered in high doses over a relatively long period of time in order to achieve a promising effect.
Your veterinary practice will draw up a detailed treatment plan for your individual case and can send the medication for your horse digitally to petsXL, so that you can find all upcoming medication doses in your timeline and set reminders for yourself.
Depending on the severity of the disease, the horse with heart disease must be rested and the decision on whether it can continue to be ridden must be made exclusively in consultation with the treating veterinarian.
The prognosis for heart disease in horses can vary greatly. In most cases, however, full performance cannot be restored, which often means the end of their sporting career, especially for sport horses. Depending on the severity and type of damage, a sick horse can still live on medication and, in some cases, be ridden lightly. Please discuss the specific recommendation for your horse with your veterinarian.
In general, the earlier the heart disease or underlying condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the prognosis.
Due to their causes, heart diseases cannot be completely prevented. However, timely and professional treatment of bacterial and viral infectious diseases can prevent the spread of pathogens and thus significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, regular veterinary check-ups help to detect and treat possible heart disease at an early stage, thereby preventing potential serious damage to the heart.
Cryptorchidism refers to the absence of one or both testicles in the scrotum of a stallion. It is a relatively common developmental disorder in horses and can occur in all horse breeds. These stallions are also colloquially referred to as "Klopp-, Spitz- or Urhengste" (clop, pointed or original stallions). Since the majority of cryptorchid stallions are infertile, this condition also has economic significance in relation to horse breeding.
X-ray fluoroscopy is an imaging examination method that uses X-rays to create a series of moving images of the part of the body being examined. The X-ray machine is freely movable thanks to a C-shaped arm (= C-arm), allowing the body part or organ to be viewed from all angles in real time on the monitor.
Distemper is a long-known and highly contagious viral infection that can affect various carnivorous wild animals as well as dogs and ferrets. It is also known as Carré's disease, after its discoverer, Henri Carré. Since the introduction of protective vaccination in 1960, outbreaks and mortality rates have been significantly reduced. However, with declining vaccination rates and the constant increase in dog imports from Eastern Europe, distemper is once again on the rise in Germany.
A melanoma is a tumor that develops from the pigment cells of the skin, known as melanocytes. The tumor produces cells that contain melanin, the dark pigment in the skin. If the tumor is benign, it is referred to as a melanoma; if it is malignant, it is referred to as a melanosarcoma. In human medicine, melanomas are commonly referred to as "black skin cancer."
Castration of stallions is one of the most common medical procedures performed on horses and refers to the surgical removal of the male sex organs or gonads (testicles). This is an amputation permitted under animal welfare legislation. A castrated stallion is referred to as a gelding and is permanently infertile.
Everyone has probably heard the term "mangy dog" before. But what exactly is mange? Mange is a contagious skin disease in dogs caused by various types of mites. Classic mange in dogs is caused by the Sarcoptes mite (scabies mite). However, there are other types of mites that cause similar skin changes.
Narcolepsy is a pathological sleep disorder in which animals initially appear to be dozing, but then suddenly fall asleep and sometimes collapse without support. In most cases, this sleep disorder is associated with a loss of muscle tone, known as cataplexy.
Wobbler syndrome describes a complex of symptoms caused by nerve damage in the cervical spine. The often typical ataxic (irregular) gait of affected animals gave the disease its name, as the English word "to wobble" means to sway or stagger. It occurs particularly often in Dobermans and Great Danes, but other large breeds of dog can also be affected. Male dogs are twice as likely to develop the condition as females.
Dourine is a worldwide, notifiable horse disease that is transmitted through mating. It is highly contagious, spreads very quickly and is almost always fatal. It occurs mainly in Asia, North and South Africa. Thanks to appropriate control measures, the disease is now considered to have been eradicated in Australia, North America and Central Europe.
If your horse suddenly looks like it has run through hundreds of stinging nettles or been bitten by a swarm of mosquitoes, it could be hives, also known as urticaria. Triggered by certain stimuli, this excessive reaction of the immune system causes hundreds of small, round, raised swellings, known as wheals, to form on the horse's skin. In most cases, this rash disappears quickly once the cause has been treated.
If feed components or foreign bodies become stuck in the horse's esophagus, the surrounding muscles cramp up and a blockage occurs. Due to the risk of pneumonia caused by inhaling feed residues (aspiration pneumonia), a blockage is always a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate veterinary treatment.
Despite its somewhat misleading name (hematoma = bruise), this very rare disease in horses is not a simple bruise, but a slowly growing tumor originating in the ethmoid bone or paranasal sinuses that can cause severe bleeding. Ethmoid hematoma can occur in horses of any age, but is most common in horses between 8 and 15 years of age.
