I’m a vet and these four dog breeds are at a higher risk of heart disease – here’s how to spot the signs of illness

A British vet has revealed four dog breeds prone to heart disease – and what you can do if your dog is one.

Content creator @ben.the.vet shared the list in one video on TikTok, where he has more than 208,600 followers.

He often makes clips where he shares useful information about how to care for animals responsibly, as well as the different health challenges that different species and breeds face.

When discussing heart disease in dogs, Ben said: ‘I’ll start with Dobermans because it’s really quite a shocking statistic that more than 58 percent of Dobermans over the age of seven have dilated cardiomyopathy.

‘This is a disease in which the muscle in the heart wall begins to weaken, ultimately leading to heart failure, but also a high risk of sudden death.’

He noted that unfortunately there are often no signs of the problem and “the dog can just drop dead in the park.”

Ben advised people who have Dobermans to talk to their vet about screening their dogs from an early age – ideally from around two or three years old.

This, he explained, is because if caught early, medications can be given to delay the onset of a problem.

Moving on to the next breed, the vet mentioned boxers.

He explained, “TThe reason I included them is because unfortunately there are several heart conditions for which they are considered high risk.

‘One of these is a congenital problem with aortic or subaortic stenosis, in which a narrowing develops where the blood leaves the heart to the rest of the body.

‘Most cases are mild and there are no clinical symptoms. During examination at the vet we can only hear a heart murmur.

‘But in severe cases it can lead to collapse during exercise, and even sudden death.’

Among the breeds the vet (pictured) listed were Dobermans, Boxers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Golden Retrievers

But, he continued, this is something breeders are very aware of, and in some countries (including France) “its prevalence has been shown to decrease significantly because breeding dogs have been screened.”

Ben added: ‘They also have a three per cent prevalence of pulmonary stenosis, which is a narrowing of the exit from the heart to the lungs, and are also at high risk of dilated cardiomyopathy, the same condition that affects Dobermans.’

The third breed he listed was the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, saying, “I’ve talked about them a lot, [they are] great little dogs, [but they have] terrible hearts.

‘By the age of 10, up to 90 percent of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have mitral valve disease, a condition in which one of the valves in the heart begins to degenerate and leak.

‘This is usually initially discovered with a heart murmur, but can eventually lead to the dog developing heart failure, coughing and breathing abnormalities, and unfortunately it is a cause of death for many Cavaliers.’

He noted that there are medications that can slow the progression of the disease, but this depends on the stage of the disease the dog is in.

Ben advised people with murmured Cavaliers to discuss this with their vet if they haven’t already done so.

Among the breeds mentioned were Dobermans (photo). According to Ben, more than 58 percent of Dobermans over the age of seven have a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy.

The fourth and final breed he mentioned in the video was golden retrievers.

‘[This is] not because they are at extremely high risk for any particular heart problem, but there is a condition called pericardial effusion which is generally very rare, but at a referral center they found that a third of the dogs they saw with this condition golden colored wax retrievers, that’s really interesting.’

Explaining what pericardial effusion is, Ben said: ‘It is a condition where fluid builds up in the sac around the heart.

‘Often it builds up slowly, gradually leading to a point where the heart can no longer pump blood effectively, and this can manifest itself in the dog becoming weaker and weaker and eventually collapsing.’

Ben concluded: ‘I have only seen two cases of this condition, and interestingly both were golden retrievers.’