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- Author or Editor: Nicola A. Wright x
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Abstract
Objective—To determine clinical features of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Great Danes and to determine whether DCM is familial in this breed.
Design—Retrospective study.
Animals—17 Great Danes with DCM.
Procedure—Medical records of Great Danes in which DCM was diagnosed on the basis of results of echocardiography (fractional shortening < 25%, endsystolic volume index > 30 ml/m2 of body surface area) were reviewed. Pedigrees were obtained for affected animals, as well as for other Great Danes in which DCM had been diagnosed.
Results—Dilated cardiomyopathy appeared to be familial and was characterized by ventricular dilatation, congestive heart failure (left-sided or biventricular), and atrial fibrillation. Pedigree analysis suggested that DCM was inherited as an X-linked recessive trait, but the mode of inheritance could not be definitively identified.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggest that DCM may be an X-linked recessive trait in Great Danes. Thus, dogs with DCM probably should not be used for breeding, and female offspring of affected dogs should be used cautiously. Male offspring of affected females are at an increased risk of developing DCM and should be evaluated periodically for early signs of disease. Results of pedigree analysis were preliminary and should be used only as a guide for counseling breeders, rather than as a basis for making breeding decisions. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;218:729–732)
Abstract
Objective—To evaluate the use of 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography (AECG) for the detection of ventricular premature complexes (VPC) in healthy dogs.
Design—Case series.
Animals—50 healthy mature dogs.
Procedure—A 24-hour AECG was performed on each dog and evaluated for the presence of VPC.
Results—Fifty dogs weighing between 18.2 to 40.9 kg (40 and 90 lb) representing 13 breeds were evaluated; there were 4 sexually intact females, 21 spayed females, 4 sexually intact males, and 21 castrated males. Ages ranged from 1 to 12 years. Thirty-four dogs had no VPC; 16 dogs had between 1 and 24 VPC. The grade of arrhythmia ranged from 1 to 4, with 4 dogs having an arrhythmia with a grade > 1. Significant differences were not detected between the group of dogs with VPC and those without VPC with regard to sex, age, and minimum, maximum, or mean heart rate.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—We conclude that healthy mature dogs have infrequent VPC, as detected by use of 24-hour AECG. The presence of numerous or sequential VPC may be suggestive of cardiac or systemic disease and may indicate the need for thorough clinical evaluation. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;218:1291–1292)
Abstract
Objective—To evaluate the use of in-hospital electrocardiography (ECG) for detection of ventricular premature complexes (VPC), compared with 24-hour ambulatory ECG.
Design—Original study.
Animals—188 Boxers > 9 months old; 31 had a history of syncope, and 157 were healthy (no history of syncope).
Procedure—In-hospital ECG was performed on all Boxers for at least 2 minutes. Within 7 days after the in-hospital ECG was completed, 24-hour ambulatory ECG was performed.
Results—The specificity of in-hospital ECG was 100% for the detection of at least 50 VPC in a 24-hour period in dogs with syncope and 93% in healthy dogs. In-hospital ECG had poor sensitivity, although sensitivity increased as the number of VPC per 24 hours increased.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Use of in-hospital ECG is highly specific for detection of at least 50 VPC during a 24-hour period. However, in-hospital ECG is insensitive, and a lack of VPC does not suggest that the dog does not have a substantial number of VPC during that same period. The use of in-hospital ECG appears to be inadequate for screening purposes and therapeutic evaluations in mature Boxers with ventricular arrhythmic disease. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;218:222–224)
Abstract
Objective—To determine aortic ejection velocity in healthy adult Boxers with soft ejection murmurs without overt structural evidence of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and in healthy Boxers without cardiac murmurs.
Design—Retrospective study.
Animals—201 Boxers.
Procedure—Dogs were examined independently by 2 individuals for evidence of a cardiac murmur, and a murmur grade was assigned. Maximal instantaneous (peak) aortic ejection velocity was measured by means of continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography from a subcostal location. Forty-eight dogs were reexamined approximately 1 year later.
Results—A soft (grade 1, 2, or 3) left-basilar ejection murmur was detected in 113 (56%) dogs. Overall median aortic ejection velocity was 1.91 m/s (range, 1.31 to 4.02 m/s). Dogs with murmurs had significantly higher aortic ejection velocities than did those without murmurs (median, 2.11 and 1.72 m/s, respectively). Auscultation of a murmur was 87% sensitive and 66% specific for the identification of aortic ejection velocity > 2.0 m/s. An ejection murmur and aortic ejection velocity > 2.0 m/s were identified in 73 (36%) dogs. For most dogs, observed changes in murmur grade and aortic ejection velocity during a follow-up examination 1 year later were not clinically important.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that ejection murmurs were common among healthy adult Boxers and that Boxers with murmurs were likely to have high (> 2.0 m/s) aortic ejection velocities. The cause of the murmurs in these dogs is unknown. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2003;222:770–774)
Abstract
Objective—To evaluate the effect of 4 antiarrhythmic treatment protocols on number of ventricular premature complexes (VPC), severity of arrhythmia, heart rate (HR), and number of syncopal episodes in Boxers with ventricular tachyarrhythmias.
Design—Randomized controlled clinical trial.
Animals—49 Boxers.
Procedure—Dogs with > 500 VPC/24 h via 24-hour ambulatory ECG (AECG) were treated with atenolol (n = 11), procainamide (11), sotalol (16), or mexiletine and atenolol (11) for 21 to 28 days. Results of pre- and posttreatment AECG were compared with regard to number of VPC/24 h; maximum, mean, and minimum HR; severity of arrhythmia; and occurrence of syncope.
Results—Significant differences between pre- and posttreatment number of VPC, severity of arrhythmia, HR variables, or occurrence of syncope were not observed in dogs treated with atenolol or procainamide. Significant reductions in number of VPC, severity of arrythmia, and maximum and mean HR were observed in dogs treated with mexiletineatenolol or sotalol; occurrence of syncope was not significantly different between these 2 treatment groups.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Treatment with sotalol or mexiletine-atenolol was well tolerated and efficacious. Treatment with procainamide or atenolol was not effective. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002;221:522–527)
