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Originally Posted by AKA_Monet
Aside from "heart worm" that dogs and cats get, it is my understanding that several mammals (except primates) and non-mammals have 3-chambered hearts, which are cause for differing developmental patterns. I know in the mouse, the 2 ventricles are more pointy than humans and that if the apex is rounded, there is a ventricular dysfunction as seen on echo.
Horses and cattle have different kinds of hearts, even at the molecular level, like their Titan and myosin chains are much larger than a humans. However, the first tests on statins were done on mice, rats, rabbits, then pigs and humans. Pigs have the most similar hearts to primates... Dogs are the next group people study, until the animals gets heart worm. I believe pigs get some kind of heart infection, also. Humans get cocksakie virus and von Wildebrand's factor. Rarely do they get similar infections as seen in animals--but it has been known to happen. Pneumonia is another one humans get.
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Yep. You're right. It depends on the animal. It's different from invertebrates all the way to fish. Actually, AKA_Monet, heart infection can infect pigs as well as other animals, but heart disease with subsequent heart failure is even more frequent in small animal medicine. All it takes is a faulty heart to cause high blood pressure, and fluid build up within the abdomen and/or the lungs. I mean, of course that depends on which side of the heart is involved. The crazy thing about heart disease in most animals, is if the latter structures become waterlogged, oxygen exchange is reduced even further. It can be just about anything. Different diseases involving the heart valves or heart muscle can lead to heart failure too.
I read where you mentioned heartworms. Actually, by far the most common type of heart disease seen in dogs, aside from that caused by heartworms, is mital insufficiency, I think (correct me if I'm wrong) involves the heart valve separating the left atrium from the left ventricle. To my understanding, if this valve becomes diseased and fails to close properly when it's supposed to, blood is actually allowed to flow back into the left atrium when the left ventricle contracts.
With heartworms, it's more common in dogs than cats. Some of the medications that are used to get rid of heartworms, cause more problems than people think. I'm not sure what the % is, but of all reported deaths caused by drug reactions, most of them were from heartworm preventative medicine. I'll bet it's almost half though. I honestly think more vets should practice holistic medicine. To my understanding, some have been experimenting with a homeopathic preventive made from microfilaria infected blood. With the right funding, I think this actually may eventually provide a true alternative to drug use. Wild animals like wolves and coyotes are quite resistant to heartworms. Studies have shown they start getting very light infestations and then become immune.
Yep. People can have some of the same heart problems that animals suffer. As far as heartworms are concerned, we can get the microfilaria from infected mosquitoes, but they never make it to the heart where they mature into adult worms. There have been studies that have shown them making it to the lungs instead. Nothing serious, they only cause ring like cysts. I read somewhere that these rings have been mistaken for cancer. That would be pretty scary if we actually could get infected with mature worms though. Have you ever seen a heartworm infested heart? It's unbelievable. They look like spaghetti.
Edited for greekchat. lol
lol. I'm not surprised. We get some of the most hilarious calls. We laugh and talk about some of them for months.
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