How to safely exercise a dog with an enlarged heart condition?

Question

My jrt is recently diagnosed with enlarged heart, confirmed through xray. She collapsed twice during the day before the vet visit where her body tensed up and she drooled for less than 30secs which I thought was epilepsy initially. She is prescribed with furosemide and pimobendan. Recently she had peed while asleep, likely due to furosemide. Vet advised against activity but as you know jrt likes to walk. Any advice on how to manage her activity level without exacerbating her condition? Pet's info: Dog | Jack Russell Terrier | Female | spayed | 14 years old | 18.3 lbs

Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH · Accepted Answer

Hi and thanks for posting! Managing activity and stress level is very important with cardiac disease patients. Short leashed walks to go to the bathroom and around the block should be okay. I would try and minimize long walks and running. A harness that goes around the chest should be used to minimize pressure on the trachea which could exacerbate her condition. Minimizing stressful situations can be helpful as well. For example, if going to the vet's office is stressful and causes her to collapse, then you may want to consider having a house call visit instead which may be much less stressful for her. I hope this helps!

How to safely exercise a dog with an enlarged heart condition?

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