Get your dog's heart health checked out at Otto Armleder Memorial Park

CINCINNATI - Dog owners, Friday you can get your dog’s heart examined for free Otto Armleder Memorial Park.

A veterinary cardiologist with the Mobile Dog Heart Health Tour will perform free dog heart checks for signs of heart disease.

Since early 2009, veterinarians on the Mobile Dog Heart Health Tour have checked more than 5,000 dog hearts and found a previously undetected murmur in about 20 percent of them

In addition to providing free heart health screenings, veterinarians will be available to answer questions for dog owners about heart disease, a common ailment that is almost as prevalent in dogs as it is in humans. About 11 percent of the approximately 78 million dogs in the United States have heart disease, and that figure increases to as many as 60 percent among aged dogs and certain predisposed breeds.

"Early diagnosis and treatment of heart failure can significantly prolong and improve the quality of a dog's life," said Dr. Kathy Wright, a Cincinnati veterinary cardiologist on the Mobile Dog Heart Health Tour.

Dr. Wright will perform free dog heart screenings from inside a special mobile exam room from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

You can learn more by going to www.YourDogsHeart.com .