A stethoscope will only provide limited information about your dog’s heart. Your vet is likely to want to do further tests on your dog to establish that a heart condition is the cause of his or her symptoms; or whether they have another condition such as a respiratory disease (which has similar symptoms). This will help them decide on the correct treatment plan for your dog.
Your vet may wish to do the following tests:
- X-ray (radiograph) – to assess the size of your dog’s heart and determine if there is any fluid in the lungs
- Ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram) - to look at the heart muscle and valves and to assess if any the heart’s chambers are dilated/swollen
- Blood test – to check the general health of your dog
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) – to assess the electrical activity of the heart which controls the co-ordinated pumping of the heart.
