Often termed as man’s most faithful friend, dogs do experience cardiac attacks but suffer silently as they don’t talk.

Though most people have dogs as pets, they remain unaware about the animal’s heart disease which could be either congenital or acquired, experts attending the two-day national symposium on canine cardiology at the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University here, said.

“It is observed that cardiac disease is common in dogs whose life span ranges between 12 to 15 years. The cardiac issues often set in when the animal is barely five to six years of age,” Prof. (Dr.) Bramhadev Pattnaik, Dean of the SOA-run Institute of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (IVSAH), said.

What is required is timely diagnosis as pet owners need to observe whether the dog is showing signs of fatigue, unable to walk properly, refusing food or not responding to the owner’s commands, he said.

Since it is difficult to know whether the dog is having cardiac problems, it is required to get the animal go through regular cardiac health check-up, Prof. (Dr.) Pattnaik said adding new diagnostic techniques could be used to identify the problem.

“Even dogs are having pacemakers these days,” he said.

Dr. Y.Vijay, Director, state government’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, said there was need for raising awareness about the subject and the owners had to understand the pet’s symptoms.

Prof. (Dr.) Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor of SOA, who presided over the inaugural ceremony, said the university was encouraging such symposiums and would promote research on canine health. This symposium would greatly help in enabling vets to enhance their knowledge, he said.

The program was also addressed by Prof. (Dr.) Sanghamitra Mishra, Dean of the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Prof. (Dr.) Sushanta Kumar Das, Associate Dean, IVSAH and Prof. (Dr.) Srinibas Das, Director, Veterinary Clinical Complex, IVSAH, and Organising Secretary of the symposium. Prof. (Dr.) Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean (Students’ Welfare), conducted the inaugural ceremony.