Vet Clin Small Anim 34 (2004) 1235–1244

Dr. Neil Harpster first described myocardial disease in the Boxer dog in the early 1980s. It was characterized as a degenerative myocardial disease with unique right ventricular histologic findings that include myocyte atrophy and fatty infiltration [1,2]. Affected dogs could be asymptomatic or syncopal with ventricular arrhythmias, and they sometimes developed congestive heart failure. The disease seemed to have a greater prevalence in certain families of dogs. In the early 1990s, Dr. Bruce Keene described a family of Boxers with myocardial dysfunction, tachyarrhythmias and congestive heart failure, and decreased myocardial carnitine levels [3]. For the full article, click on the title: Boxer dog cardiomyopathy: an update by Kate Meurs.2004

J Vet Intern Med 2012;26:1337–1349

N.J. Summerfield, A. Boswood, M.R. O’Grady, S.G. Gordon, J. Dukes-McEwan, M.A. Oyama, S. Smith, M. Patteson, A.T. French, G.J. Culshaw, L. Braz-Ruivo, A. Estrada, M.L. O’Sullivan, J. Loureiro, R. Willis, and P. Watson

Background: The benefit of pimobendan in delaying the progression of preclinical dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Dobermans is not reported.                                                                                                                                                               Hypothesis: That chronic oral administration of pimobendan … Read More »

Heart Disease in Cats: What’s up with that?
by Dr. Janet Olson, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)

Cardiology for cats is tough. Most of the cardiology we, as veterinarians have learned, pertains primarily to dogs, or is out-dated in regards to the best practice for cats. Unlike dogs, we can not “breed profile” to help us determine if a cat is likely to have heart disease and if so, what type. So here are a few pointers to help you out in your practice.

Golden Rules

Cats can have heart murmurs without any cardiac disease (physiologic in nature) – Yay!
Cats may have significant heart disease without the presence of a murmur or an arrhythmia – making it tough to diagnose – boo!
Any cat with pleural effusion has heart disease until proven otherwise
Cardiogenic pulmonary edema often takes on a ventral distribution in the chest vs the typical … Read More »