Incidence and Echocardiographic Evaluation of Cardiac Diseases in Dogs: A Three Year Retrospective Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijvsbt.22.3.14Keywords:
Age, Breed, Cardiac diseases, Dogs, Incidence, Sex.Abstract
Canine cardiac diseases are an emerging concern in small animal practice due to their increasing prevalence and impact on quality of life. This study aimed to assess the incidence and breed-wise distribution of cardiac diseases in dogs presented to Small Animal Outpatient of MVC Teaching Hospital, Chennai, between June 2022 and June 2025. A total of 44,058 dogs were presented during the study period. Comprehensive echocardiography including B-mode, M-mode, colour flow, and spectral Doppler was performed for all the suspected cases. The overall incidence of cardiac diseases was 2.28% confirmed by echocardiography. The present study analysed the incidence of cardiac diseases in dogs, comprising 1006 cases, of which acquired conditions predominated (89.66%). Dilated cardiomyopathy (49.50%) and mitral valve disease (28.92%) represented the most common acquired cardiac disorders, followed by pericardial effusion (4.67%) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (2.43%). Congenital cardiac anomalies accounted for 10.34% of cases, with tricuspid valve dysplasia (3.77%) and tetralogy of Fallot (3.25%) being the most frequently diagnosed. The findings emphasize the predominance of dilated cardiomyopathy and mitral valve disease in canine populations. This study highlights the incidence and distribution of congenital and acquired cardiac conditions based on the echocardiographic findings, to record various types of heart diseases in relation to age, breed, sex; and to emphasize the importance of early diagnosis, breeds-based screening to improve outcome in canine cardiac care.
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