With dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) the heart muscle becomes thinner than normal, is weakened, and results in poor pumping ability, valve leakage and arrhythmia. This loss of the heartâs ability to properly contract is a common acquired disease of the heart in dogs.
Collateral Vessel Closure. Collateral vessels are abnormal blood vessels that connect the aorta with the pulmonary arteries. The aorta is a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to arteries throughout the body. Pulmonary arteries are the vessels that transfer blood from the heart back to the lungs for oxygen.
This section is about Structures of the Heart. An auricle is a feature of the anatomy of the heart. There are two auricles in the heart. One auricle is attached to each of the anterior surfaces of the outer-walls of the atria (that is, the left atrium and the right atrium). Visually, they look like wrinkled pouch-like structures. Their purpose is to increase the capacity of the atrium, and so also increase the volume of blood that it is able to contain.