title: Chronic heart disease and its management.
abstract: Diseases of the cardiovascular system are a common cause of morbidity and mortality among geriatric canine and feline patients. Furthermore, diseases of the heart and vasculature often complicate the management of other abnormalities. This article contains a brief overview of the effects of aging on the circulatory system. It also contains a discussion of the cardiovascular disorders most frequently encountered in geriatric animals, namely, the feline myocardial disorders and feline hypertension and degenerative valvular disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, and cardiac in dogs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bright
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mears
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002415:Cats; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary; D011859:Radiography / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary