We’ve got a three-peat favorite back on the mic—Dr. Karl Jandrey, DVM, DACVECC, emergency & critical care specialist at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In this “Ask the Vet” deep dive, Dr. Jandrey breaks down how heart disease shows up in pets, what to watch for at home, and what your vet does first in the ER.

You’ll learn the stealth early signs in dogs (like true exercise intolerance vs. stubbornness), when coughing and increased breathing effort mean “go now,” and why small breeds often face mitral valve disease while large breeds are at risk for dilated cardiomyopathy (including the grain-free/taurine connection). We also cover arrhythmias (like AFib) and dramatic collapses, the core ER toolkit (oxygen, ultrasound, diuretics), and practical home monitoring (why ≤30 breaths/min at rest matters).

For cats, Dr. J ...