Common Heart Issues in Horses

Horses like humans can experience a variety of heart disorders or defects ranging from inconsequential to lifethreatening issues. Though some diagnostic tools are the same between species such as the use of stethoscopes in physical exams echocardiography ultrasound and electrocardiography ECG some tools used in human medicine are simply not adapted for equine heart health. This makes it even more critical that a qualified veterinarian help determine the cause and potential ramifications of the issue.

Signs of Heart Issues in Horses
Not every horse that has a heart issue presents with the same clinical signs. Some horses may become short of breath quickly or take longer to cool out after exercising. Others may become weak to the point of collapsing or develop fluid accumulation in their legs or abdomen.
The vast majority of heart problems are incidental findings picked up during routine physical examinations or during a prepurchase examination in most cases if clinical signs of a heart problem are observed the cardiac disease is advanced says J. Barry David DVM Dipl. ACVIM of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington Ky. David is a board certified specialist in internal medicine who sees many horses with suspected cardiac issues each year.
If a heart condition is suspected its important to contact a veterinarian who can complete a through physical exam. A heart issue can affect the horses performance and his life expectancy as well as potentially affecting the safety of his rider driver or handler.
The most common issues David finds when examining horses for potential cardiac issues include heart murmurs arrhythmias and congenital abnormalities. Each of these conditions has a range of possible implications based on their severity.
Heart Murmurs
Among the most common heart issues in horses a heart murmur is suspected when a veterinarian hears an extra sound while listening to a horses heartbeat. Instead

of the twobeat lubdub made by a healthy heart he or she may hear a whooshing or swishing sound in between these beats. This sound is made by blood flowing through the heart at abnormal times. Horses can be born with murmurs or they can develop later in life.
There are multiple types of murmurs a horse can have but the most common are mitral valve murmurs tricuspid murmurs and aortic valve murmurs. In each of these cases the murmur is caused by a leak in the valves that separate the chambers of the heart allowing blood to seep into a