Monday, March 17, 2014

Cardiology - Dr. Keith Blass

We all know that our pets have huge hearts filled with unconditional love--but what does it mean when your veterinarian tells you your pet has a heart murmur?

It could mean nothing or it could indicate that there is heart disease present. The only way to know is with an ultrasound of the heart called an echocardiogram. This procedure takes around 30 minutes and is done by a board certified cardiologist. Usually sedation is not necessary and you are with your pet the entire time. The doctor will image the heart and see if there is disease present such as thickening of the heart wall or abnormalities with the valves.

Image of echocardiogram

I often have people ask me “even if there is something wrong what are we going to do about it anyway?” While heart surgery is not commonly performed on animals, we can treat with medications that will help the heart work better and prolong your pet’s quality of life.

Dr. Keith Blass is our cardiologist here at Friendship, joining the team in September of 2013.  Dr. Blass graduated from Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine and completed an internship at University of Pennsylvania's College of Veterinary Medicine.  He then went on to a three year cardiology residency at The Ohio State University.  We are very happy to have him provide this critical service to our patients in need.

No comments:

Post a Comment