Dog the Bounty Hunter Reveals His Life-Threatening Heart Condition

Reality star Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, 66, is opening up about his health on Monday's episode of “The Dr. Oz Show.”

During a house call with Dr. Oz, Dog revealed that he has been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, weeks after his hospitalization.

A pulmonary embolism occurs when one more arteries in the lungs is blocked by a blood clot.

In a clip, Dr. Oz told Dog that he's a “ticking time bomb,” adding, “You're not going to be here with the heart the way it is right now."

After Oz stressed that “fearing death is normal,” Dog said, “Oh, I was afraid to die. I said, 'Please let go of my heart, Honey! Quit squeezing my heart.' So I take that back, I'm not afraid to die, but I don't want to.”

After looking at Dog's medical records, Oz noted that Dog likely had a small heart attack years ago. He said, “When I look at your records, there's an EKG in here, electrical lines. I see that there was some damage. Not a lot, but a little bit of damage. If you had the heart attack which killed the tissue, you wouldn't have that pain anymore.”

When Dr. Oz examined Dog's blood tests, he pointed out that his blood's oxygenation levels were only at 94% when it should be at 99%. He explained, “The fact that you [Dog] don't have 99 percent means that your lungs are not getting enough oxygen into your body. If you have a heart and lung problem, they are supposed to back each other up. It's the buddy system.”

As for Dog's blood pressure, which measured at 148 over 97, Oz shared, “You are not supposed to be over 140 over 90. Hypertension is the biggest ager of all. It's the fire hydrant that has popped off its lid and is squirting water, scraping off that delicate lining of your arteries. Your body is going to have to heal that. And you are using the bad cholesterol that you have to heal it.”

Oz emphasized the importance of life style changes, saying, “Not sleeping well enough, general diet issues, and the stress that you are feeling are all triggers.”

His family is by his side as he undergoes more tests, including a cardiac catheterization. His daughter Lyssa told Dr. Oz, “I think he didn't want me here because he doesn't want us seeing him weak.”

Oz is optimistic about Dog's future, commenting, “I'm hoping we find something that we could fix with the stent and one day, this is just a bad memory of the acute process. Then we get to the big battle and the trench warfare to rehab your health. If we find something that's bad and it requires a bigger procedure, it's going to take longer. But we can do it, we can do it together.”

Last week, Dog gave an update on his health, telling FOX31 Denver, “It feels much better now. I'm going through some psychological things right now, too, so that doesn't help. I think, basically, I had a broken heart. And of course it's going to heal.”

The 66-year-old seemingly acknowledged that his wife Beth's death has taken its toll on him physically and mentally.

Dog revealed that his assistant was the one who took him to a hospital. He said, “I couldn't breathe. It was like I had ran a three- or four-mile run… There's something haywire or it's psychologically, I don't know. I guess things happen like that. I've never… I don't do drugs.”