Heart disease in dogs

Common forms

• Mitral valve disease (MVD). Most common in small breeds. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are particularly affected and tend to develop MVD earlier than other breeds.
• Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). More common in larger breeds (Dobermans, Great Danes, Boxers, Cocker Spaniels). Can be primary or diet-related.
• Congenital heart defects. Picked up at early puppy exams.

Diagnosis + management

• Initial workup: cardiac auscultation, ECG, chest radiographs, echocardiogram.
• Long-term medication: ACE inhibitors, pimobendan, diuretics, sometimes beta-blockers. Often lifelong.
• Ongoing monitoring: periodic echocardiogram, blood tests, medication adjustments.

NZ pet insurance considerations

• Pre-existing handling. A heart murmur noted at any earlier vet visit can flag MVD as pre-existing for later claims. Insure dogs before the first cardiac murmur is documented.
• Ongoing-medication cover. Heart disease treatment is mostly recurring medication; check whether the policy treats each year as a fresh claim.
• Breed-specific exclusions. Some insurers carve out breeds with documented cardiac risk.
• Renewal-age cap. Cardiac claims accelerate in senior years; cover that stops renewing past 9-12 leaves the highest-risk period uninsured.

Use /find-my-policy with "older-pet-existing-conditions" or "breed-prone-to-hereditary-conditions" to rank policies on chronic-condition + hereditary clause language.