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  4. Diagnosis of Canine Cardiac Disease
Encyclopedia of Canine Clinical Nutrition
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Diagnosis of Canine Cardiac Disease

Author(s):
Freeman L.M. and
Rush J.
In: Encyclopedia of Canine Clinical Nutrition by Pibot P. et al.
Updated:
JUL 02, 2008
Languages:
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  • IT
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    2. Diagnosis of Canine Cardiac Disease

    Congenital and acquired cardiac diseases often lead to similar compensatory responses and neuroendocrine activation. Due to the similarities in response of the heart, systemic and pulmonary vasculature and the neuroendocrine systems, several common historical findings and clinical signs result from most of the canine cardiovascular diseases.

    Clinical Signs

    Common historical complaints include cough, shortness of breath, and syncope (Table 2). Cardiac disease can be quite advanced when the owner is first able to detect clinical abnormality, however many cardiac diseases can be detected by the attending veterinarian well in advance of the development of clinical signs.

    Most congenital cardiac diseases are accompanied by a loud cardiac murmur. The most common form of cardiovascular disease in the dog, CVD, typically has a cardiac murmur that can be readily identified well before outward clinical signs of cardiovascular disease are evident. The abnormalities that are most commonly identified on physical examination from dogs with cardiovascular disease are listed in Table 3.

    Table 2. Common Historical Findings in Dogs with Cardiovascular Disease

    Coughing

    Gagging

    Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

    Inability to sleep comfortably through the night

    Fainting or "seizure" (syncope)

    Weight loss

    Abdominal distension

    Weakness

    Exercise intolerance

    Poor growth (congenital heart disease)

    Table 3. Common Physical Examination Findings from Dogs with Cardiovascular Disease

    Cardiac murmur

    Dyspnea

    Cardiac gallop

    Pulmonary crackles

    Cardiac arrhythmia

    Ascites

    Tachycardia

    Abdominal organomegaly

    Bradycardia

    Cyanosis

    Weak arterial pulses

    Mucous membrane pallor

    Pulsus paradoxus

    Delayed capillary refill time (> 2 seconds)

    Jugular vein distension

     

    Diagnostic Tests

    Once cardiovascular disease is established as a differential diagnosis, a battery of routine tests are often performed to confirm cardiovascular disease, establish the severity of disease, and permit an informed decision to be made regarding treatment.

    An electrocardiogram should be performed in all dogs with evidence of cardiac arrhythmia, including those with arrhythmia noted on cardiac auscultation and those with femoral arterial pulse deficits, bradycardia, tachycardia, or a history of syncope, seizure, or collapse.

    Thoracic radiographs are indicated to establish whether CHF is present and to help determine the degree of cardiac enlargement, the size of the pulmonary vessels, and the size of the caudal vena cava. Thoracic radiographs are the best diagnostic test to exclude respiratory diseases as either the cause or a contributor to the animal's clinical signs. For many cardiovascular diseases, echocardiography is the key diagnostic test to establish the exact cause of the disease. Echocardiography also facilitates the evaluation of cardiac chamber enlargement and permits quantitative evaluation of cardiac chamber size, wall thickness, and myocardial and valve function (Figure 1).

    Echocardiography indicating dilated cardiomyopathy in a boxer
    Figure 1. Echocardiography indicating dilated cardiomyopathy in a boxer. Right parasternal long axis view showing the dilatation of the left atrium (LA) and left ventricule (LV). (© Bussadori).

    In dogs with congenital disease, echocardiography is used to confirm the type of defect, establish the severity of the defect, and is an invaluable aid in offering therapeutic and prognostic advice. Echocardiography is a key tool for the diagnosis and management of cardiac disease and should be offered in all cases where serious cardiovascular disease is a differential diagnosis.

    Many additional tests are useful in the diagnosis and management of dogs with cardiac disease.

    • Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) antigen testing should be carried out in dogs from endemic areas.
    • A complete blood count and biochemistry profile should be carried out to search for concurrent diseases and establish baseline values prior to therapy. Alterations in blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and the serum electrolytes sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium can develop following the initiation of various cardiac medications, and knowledge of these alterations is useful in selecting or altering the diet.
    • Plasma and whole blood taurine levels may be indicated in dogs with evidence of reduced systolic function on echocardiography, especially in certain breeds of dogs (e.g., Cocker Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Newfoundland) and in dogs consuming certain diets (see below).
    • Measurement of systemic blood pressure is useful to exclude systemic hypertension as a contributing factor to the cardiovascular disease. In addition, when hypotension develops following initiation of pharmacologic therapy, a baseline blood pressure measurement can be used for comparison.
    • A variety of additional specialized cardiovascular tests, such as Holter monitor recorders, event monitor recorders, computed tomography, phonocardiography, and cardiac catheterization are available for specific clinical settings.

    Dilated cardiomyopathy may be associated with taurine deficiency in certain breeds, such as the Golden Retriever, the Newfoundland and the Cocker Spaniel.
    Dilated cardiomyopathy may be associated with taurine deficiency in certain breeds, such as the Golden Retriever, the Newfoundland and the Cocker Spaniel. (© Hermeline and © Bouveron).

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    References

    1. Alroy J, Rush J, Freeman L et al. Inherited infantile dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs: Genetic, clinical, biochemical, and morphologic findings. J Med Genetics 2000; 95: 57-66. - PubMed -

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    About

    How to reference this publication (Harvard system)?

    Freeman, L. M. and Rush, J. (2008) “Diagnosis of Canine Cardiac Disease”, Encyclopedia of Canine Clinical Nutrition. Available at: https://www.ivis.org/library/encyclopedia-of-canine-clinical-nutrition/diagnosis-of-canine-cardiac-disease (Accessed: 08 February 2023).

    Affiliation of the authors at the time of publication

    1,2Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, MA, USA.

    Author(s)

    • Freeman L.M.

      Professor
      DVM PhD Dipl ACVN
      Department of Clinical Sciences Nutrition, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University
      Read more about this author
    • Rush J.

      Professor & Associate Chair for the Clinical Sciences
      DVM MS Dipl ACVIM (Cardiology) Dipl ACVECC
      Deparetemnt of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University
      Read more about this author

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