{"id":2145,"date":"2026-02-10T10:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/?p=2145"},"modified":"2026-02-13T09:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T15:25:01","slug":"lets-have-a-heart-to-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg\" alt=\"A cardiologist points to a screen showing and EKG of a cat\" class=\"wp-image-2146\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Introducing Specialty Veterinary Cardiology Services at Our Primary Care Clinic<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This month, love is in the air, and we\u2019re celebrating the hearts that matter most\u2014the ones inside your beloved pets. We\u2019re excited to announce that our clinic now offers veterinary cardiology specialty services, including echocardiography (heart ultrasound), provided by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist, right here in the clinic you already know and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is a Veterinary Cardiologist?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"571\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-other.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2147\" style=\"width:400px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Emily Javery, a board-certified veterinary cardiologist from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana, examines Toulouse, a Bengal cat, at the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A veterinary cardiologist is a veterinarian with advanced specialty training focused entirely on heart disease. They partner closely with us as your primary care veterinarians to diagnose, monitor, and manage heart conditions\u2014whether your pet is in the early stages of life or enjoying their golden years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By bringing cardiology services into our primary care setting, we get the best of both worlds: specialist-level expertise paired with the personalized primary care your pet already receives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Echocardiogram: A Big Window into Your Pet\u2019s Heart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An echocardiogram is a noninvasive ultrasound that lets us see the heart in motion\u2014how the chambers fill, how the valves open and close, and how effectively the heart pumps blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s painless, typically does not require sedation, and provides a lot of information that cannot be obtained from X-rays or physical exams alone. It is one of the best ways for diagnosing most forms of heart disease and determining and evaluating what cardiac medications your pet needs. It also gives us clues on anesthetic safety and whether certain sedatives can be used for procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Echocardiography can help diagnose and monitor many cardiac conditions, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Heart murmurs<\/strong> \u2013 A heart murmur is an extra whooshing sound heard when the heart is auscultated. An echocardiogram can sort out innocent murmurs (a harmless sound) from true heart disease<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Degenerative (valvular) heart disease<\/strong> \u2013 Common in older, small- and medium-breed dogs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)<\/strong> \u2013 Often seen in large-breed dogs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)<\/strong> \u2013 The most common heart disease in cats<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Congenital heart defects<\/strong> \u2013 Such as PDA or valve abnormalities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms)<\/strong> \u2013 When evaluated alongside ECG findings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pericardial disease<\/strong> \u2013 Fluid around the heart<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pulmonary hypertension<\/strong> \u2013 Increased pressure in the lungs affecting heart function<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why We Love Offering Cardiology Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From a primary care veterinarian\u2019s perspective, having a specialist work directly within our clinic is truly special and not something we get the advantage of having every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A strong heart team<\/strong>: As your primary care veterinarian, we know your pet. Working hand-in-hand with an on-site cardiologist deepens our knowledge of your pet\u2019s health, helps take guesswork out of complex cardiac cases, and allows for stronger decision making recommendations when it comes to things like anesthesia, surgery, and fluid therapy. That teamwork leads to unified treatment plans, better outcomes and fewer complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Less stress, more comfort<\/strong>: Vet visits can be stressful for pets and their owners alike. Receiving specialty care in a familiar environment helps pets (and you) feel more at ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Faster answers, better continuity<\/strong>: Because cardiology services are available right here, we can remove the specialty bottleneck and move from concern to diagnosis to treatment without unnecessary delays. And with more data on your pet, we can more specifically target treatment plans to your pet\u2019s needs, sooner, and with more confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expert care with a personal touch<\/strong>: Our cardiologist collaborates closely with our primary care veterinarians to create treatment plans that are effective, realistic, and aligned with your goals for your pet\u2019s health. The streamlined process means you get personalized answers, faster. We love having cardiology right at our fingertips!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When a Cardio Consult Could Help<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your veterinarian may recommend a cardiology evaluation if your pet has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A newly detected heart murmur<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coughing, exercise intolerance, or breathing changes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weakness or fainting episodes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Known heart disease needing monitoring<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Breed-related risk for heart conditions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Abnormal findings on X-rays or lab work<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A known heart condition and needs an evaluation before an upcoming anesthetic or surgical procedure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You love your pet, and we do too! And now, advanced heart care doesn\u2019t have to mean leaving the clinic you trust. With specialized veterinary cardiology services and primary care all under one roof, your pet can receive expert cardiac care in a place that already feels like home. Don&#8217;t hesitate to ask us if a cardiology consult is right for your pet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014 <em>Amanda Hampton, DVM (she\/her\/hers)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introducing Specialty Veterinary Cardiology Services at Our Primary Care Clinic This month, love is in the air, and we\u2019re celebrating the hearts that matter most\u2014the ones inside your beloved pets. We\u2019re excited to announce that our clinic now offers veterinary cardiology specialty services, including echocardiography (heart ultrasound), provided by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist, right here [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-2145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pet-health-wellness","tag-cardiology"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cardiology specialists from the University of Illinois see dogs and cats at Medical District Veterinary Clinic to enhance pet care.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cardiology specialists from the University of Illinois see dogs and cats at Medical District Veterinary Clinic to enhance pet care.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-10T16:06:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-13T15:25:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Medical District Veterinary Clinic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Medical District Veterinary Clinic\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/\",\"name\":\"Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-10T16:06:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-13T15:25:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2b1265b3d61d4d162a83298c2e027c45\"},\"description\":\"Cardiology specialists from the University of Illinois see dogs and cats at Medical District Veterinary Clinic to enhance pet care.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":506},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine\",\"description\":\"Our Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2b1265b3d61d4d162a83298c2e027c45\",\"name\":\"Medical District Veterinary Clinic\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dd0c16f939b2706a20072896e3ee3fa81d97420238548f144b5bdf2ff2f47ff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dd0c16f939b2706a20072896e3ee3fa81d97420238548f144b5bdf2ff2f47ff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Medical District Veterinary Clinic\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/author\/illinois\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","description":"Cardiology specialists from the University of Illinois see dogs and cats at Medical District Veterinary Clinic to enhance pet care.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","og_description":"Cardiology specialists from the University of Illinois see dogs and cats at Medical District Veterinary Clinic to enhance pet care.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/","og_site_name":"University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","article_published_time":"2026-02-10T16:06:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-13T15:25:01+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Medical District Veterinary Clinic","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Medical District Veterinary Clinic","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/","url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/","name":"Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-10T16:06:31+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-13T15:25:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2b1265b3d61d4d162a83298c2e027c45"},"description":"Cardiology specialists from the University of Illinois see dogs and cats at Medical District Veterinary Clinic to enhance pet care.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardio-feature.jpg","width":900,"height":506},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/lets-have-a-heart-to-heart\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Let\u2019s Have a Heart to Heart"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/","name":"University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","description":"Our Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2b1265b3d61d4d162a83298c2e027c45","name":"Medical District Veterinary Clinic","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dd0c16f939b2706a20072896e3ee3fa81d97420238548f144b5bdf2ff2f47ff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dd0c16f939b2706a20072896e3ee3fa81d97420238548f144b5bdf2ff2f47ff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Medical District Veterinary Clinic"},"url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/author\/illinois\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2145"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2151,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2145\/revisions\/2151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}