Studies on the occurrence of acquired cardiac diseases in dogs

Twenty dogs with cardiac diseases were used to study their occurrence and clinical pattern of the diseases using clinical signs, radiography and echocardiography. Acquired heart diseases diagnosed were mitral valve disease (n=9), dilated cardiomyopathy (n=6), aortic regurgitation (n=3) and congestive heart failure (n=2). Affected breeds were Labrador retriever(n=7), Pug (n=3), Spitz (n=1), German shepherd (n=1), Pitbull (n=1), Bullie (n=1), Mastiff(n=1), Rottweiler (n=2), Saint Bernard(n=1) and mongrel (n=2). The affected dogs were in the age group of 0–4 yr (n=8), 4–8 yr (n=9) and 9–14 yr (n=3). Fifteen dogs were males and five were females.The poor exercise tolerance was the prominent clinical sign of mitral valve diseases (in 77.77% cases) and dilated cardiomyopathy affections (in 83.33% cases). Syncope was recorded in mitral valve disease and dilated cardiomyopathy in 11.11% and 16.66% cases,respectively. Poor exercise tolerance, lethargy and dyspnea were the prominent clinical signs in all dogs with aortic regurgitation and congestive heart failure.