Animal illness and human emotion. Cardiac disease.

Cardiac disease in companion animals constitutes a significant part of veterinary medicine. Because of the nature of the problems encountered, emotional problems in the owners can be expected to arise. The major difficulty in dealing with cardiac problems in small animals arises from the uncertainty of prognosis and the frequency of sudden death. This chapter reviews the most prevalent heart diseases seen in companion animals and offers ways of explaining to clients the disease process, different treatments available (and their side effects), and more importantly, prognosis. Many problems can be avoided if good client communications are established early in the course of therapy.