Do you suspect your pet has a heart or lung condition? A  problem you could face is finding a local veterinary practice that is equipped to provide you and your pet with an accurate diagnosis of their condition. You could be left having to travel your poorly pet miles.

Clare Johnson is the senior assistant vet at the Avenue Veterinary Centre. Clare has a keen interest in continuing her personal development as a vet and learning more about cardiology. Cardiology is an interest of Clare’s and a subject on which she is very knowledgeable.

At the Avenue Veterinary Centre, Clare will use specialised cardiology equipment that can provide you and your pet with a rapid and accurate diagnosis of their condition. This will enable our experienced veterinary team to treat your pet immediately, which in life-threatening circumstances could save your pet’s life.

One of the specialised pieces of cardiology equipment we utilise at the Avenue Veterinary Centre is called an electrocardiogram (ECG). An ECG measures and records the small electrical currents produced by the heart to investigate its rhythm.

We can image the heart using state of the art x-ray and ultrasound imaging equipment.

We also use a monitor to measure the blood pressure of your pet. Raised blood pressure is identified as a symptom of cardiac disease as well as disease of other organs such as the kidneys and the hyperthyroid gland in cats. It is important to be able to measure pressure in the blood accurately to assist our team of veterinary professionals to provide you and your pet with the correct treatment.

If our team require a second opinion, they will email the ECG recordings, x-rays and ultrasound images to an RCVS Specialist at Martin Referrals. They are also more than happy to phone specialised cardiologists to discuss your pet’s case or refer your pet if they think this is appropriate. This is normally done on the same day your pet is with us at the Avenue Veterinary Centre.

For further information on cardiology, or if you think your pet has a heart or lung condition please call our well equipped veterinary centre on 01684 572 420 or email Avenue Veterinary Centre at info@avenue.vet.