Chestergates Veterinary Specialists provide first heart murmur clinic for puppies and kittens in North West

From 15^th May, Chestergates Veterinary Specialists is providing a new heart murmur clinic for puppies and kittens in the region who may need specialist treatment.

It will be the only such clinic in the North West of England, with the nearest similar service found over 80 miles away in Yorkshire and the West Midlands.

It is very common for young dogs and cats to be born with a heart murmur. These heart murmurs can have a variety of causes. Sometimes the dog or cat is born with a structural abnormality within the heart, a so called congenital condition. In other instances, the heart murmur is innocent and is caused by an immature cardiovascular system. Puppies and kittens with an innocent heart murmur will usually outgrow them by about 4-5 months of age. Though normally innocent, these cases should be checked by a veterinarian and ideally should undergo a heart scan with a veterinary cardiologist.

Puppies and kittens coming to the Chestergates clinic will receive the very highest level of care with a specialist assessment and heart scan by one of its highly trained veterinary cardiologists, Dr. Mattia Basili and Dr. Liz Bode. This will identify those puppies and kittens who may have a congenital heart condition, such as pulmonic stenosis or a patent ductus arteriosus. It is important to identify these conditions early on in life, as they are treatable with minimally invasive surgery, which can be performed at Chestergates. It will also provide peace of mind to those owners who have a puppy or kitten with an innocent heart murmur.

The price of a specialist assessment and echocardiogram heart scan is fixed at £500 (excluding drugs).

Chestergates is one of the largest and most advanced cardiology private hospital for small animals in the North of England. Its team of two internationally renowned specialist cardiologists, have a collective 15 years of experience.

Should a condition be detected in an animal, then Chestergates also has an experienced team of specialist veterinary radiologists, anaesthetists and soft tissue surgeons to provide treatment, along with a highly trained team of veterinary nurses to provide round-the-clock after care.

Liz Bode, Specialist in Cardiology at Chestergates, said: “Many puppies and kittens will experience heart murmurs. These cases need to be thoroughly investigated to ensure that they are innocent, and if not treatment quickly provided. The nearest heart murmur clinic is over 80 miles away, and it can be distressing for owners and animals to travel so far, especially if unwell. So we are very pleased to be able to open our new clinic for dog and cat owners in the North West today, to provide this essential service.”

 For information about Chestergates heart murmur clinics please call us on 01244 853823 or email info@chestergates.org.uk.