Congenital supravalvular aortic stenosis in a kitten.

A three-month-old, male intact Norwegian forest cat without any clinical signs was referred to the cardiology service of the author's teaching hospital for evaluation of a cardiac murmur. The murmur was systolic with an intensity of 4 out of 6 with the point of maximal intensity at the left heart base. Echocardiography revealed a moderate mitral valve regurgitation and a moderate dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction both resulting from systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM). Moreover, left ventricular concentric hypertrophy was noted. Oral atenolol therapy was initiated. Recheck examination 3.5 months later revealed unchanged murmur characteristics in the still asymptomatic kitten. Echocardiography showed no SAM, but there was a severe fixed aortic stenosis apparent caused by a discrete supravalvular lesion, 4 mm distal to the valve, with an hourglass morphology. Supravalvular aortic stenosis is a rare congenital anomaly in cats, which has not been reported antemortem yet.

Age when presumptive innocent cardiac murmurs spontaneously disappear in clinically healthy Cairn terrier puppies.

Innocent cardiac murmurs are common findings in Cairn terrier puppies during their first veterinary health check. The age when these murmurs spontaneously disappear is unreported. The purpose of this study was to establish the age when presumably innocent cardiac murmurs disappear in a population of clinically healthy Cairn terrier puppies. Over a period of 9 months, 227 clinically healthy Cairn terrier puppies (median age, 53 days; range, 45-76 days) underwent auscultation by a veterinary cardiology specialist, who identified 82 puppies with a presumably innocent cardiac murmur. Owners of 20 puppies volunteered to return to the clinic for serial rechecks. Owners of three puppies returned only once, therefore these puppies were censored. Hence this longitudinal observational study followed 17 puppies with monthly cardiac auscultation until the disappearance of their murmurs. The median age of the 20 puppies when the murmur was last audible was 65 days (range 52-285 days). The median age of the 17 puppies when the murmur was no longer audible was 87 days (range 71-347 days; 95% confidence interval 63-111 days). Four of the 17 puppies had a murmur after 3 months of age and two of them had a murmur beyond 6 months of age. The oldest puppy to have an audible murmur was 9.5 months old; this murmur was not audible at 11.5 months of age. In most Cairn terrier puppies in this population, the presumably innocent murmur resolved spontaneously by 3 months of age.

Respiratory rate of clinically healthy cats measured in veterinary consultation rooms.

Respiratory rate is commonly recorded during physical examinations. However, reference intervals are only available for resting and sleeping respiratory rates in cats at home. This observational study aimed to establish reference intervals for the respiratory rate in clinically healthy adult cats at primary-care veterinary clinics. Respiratory rates were recorded from 131 cats, in 6 primary-care veterinary clinics, by observation under four circumstances: by the investigator in the consultation room prior to and during a physical examination, by the owner at home when the cat was resting or sleeping, and by the investigator when watching a video-film of the cat recorded by the owner at home. The respiratory rate of the 88 clinically healthy adult (≥12 months) cats in the consultation room ranged 28-176breaths/min (median 64) with a calculated reference interval of 32-135breaths/min. Based on video-recordings, the resting (n=32) and sleeping (n=38) respiratory rates of the same cats were determined: median 27 (range 16-60)breaths/min and median 20 (range 9-28)breaths/min, respectively, which were lower than the respiratory rates recorded in the consultation room (both P<0.0001). We conclude that the reference intervals proposed for cats in textbooks reflect the resting respiratory rate at home. These values are inappropriate for using in the veterinary consultation room, because based on such reference intervals, many cats would erroneously be categorized as having tachypnea. Since the resting and sleeping respiratory rates at home show less variation, owners should be encouraged to film their pets before they visit their veterinarian.

Longitudinal Analysis of Quality of Life, Clinical, Radiographic, Echocardiographic, and Laboratory Variables in Dogs with Preclinical Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease Receiving Pimobendan or Placebo: The EPIC Study.

BACKGROUND: Changes in clinical variables associated with the administration of pimobendan to dogs with preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and cardiomegaly have not been described. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of pimobendan on clinical variables and the relationship between a change in heart size and the time to congestive heart failure (CHF) or cardiac-related death (CRD) in dogs with MMVD and cardiomegaly. To determine whether pimobendan-treated dogs differ from dogs receiving placebo at onset of CHF. ANIMALS: Three hundred and fifty-four dogs with MMVD and cardiomegaly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective, blinded study with dogs randomized (ratio 1:1) to pimobendan (0.4-0.6 mg/kg/d) or placebo. Clinical, laboratory, and heart-size variables in both groups were measured and compared at different time points (day 35 and onset of CHF) and over the study duration. Relationships between short-term changes in echocardiographic variables and time to CHF or CRD were explored. RESULTS: At day 35, heart size had reduced in the pimobendan group: median change in (Δ) LVIDDN -0.06 (IQR: -0.15 to +0.02), P < 0.0001, and LA:Ao -0.08 (IQR: -0.23 to +0.03), P < 0.0001. Reduction in heart size was associated with increased time to CHF or CRD. Hazard ratio for a 0.1 increase in ΔLVIDDN was 1.26, P = 0.0003. Hazard ratio for a 0.1 increase in ΔLA:Ao was 1.14, P = 0.0002. At onset of CHF, groups were similar. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Pimobendan treatment reduces heart size. Reduced heart size is associated with improved outcome. At the onset of CHF, dogs treated with pimobendan were indistinguishable from those receiving placebo.

N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Phonocardiography in Differentiating Innocent Cardiac Murmurs from Congenital Cardiac Anomalies in Asymptomatic Puppies.

BACKGROUND: Differentiating innocent cardiac murmurs from murmurs caused by congenital cardiac anomalies can be challenging with auscultation alone in asymptomatic puppies. HYPOTHESIS: Plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations and phonocardiograms recorded by an electronic stethoscope can differentiate innocent from pathologic cardiac murmurs. ANIMALS: A total of 186 client-owned asymptomatic dogs: 135 Cairn Terriers (age: 45-124 days), 20 adult Cairn Terriers (age: 7.5 months to 13.5 years), and 31 puppies of various breeds (age: 29-396 days). METHODS: Study design is a cross-sectional survey. Each dog was auscultated, and when a cardiac murmur was heard, a phonocardiogram was recorded and an echocardiogram was performed. Plasma NT-proBNP concentrations were measured by a single laboratory by an ELISA. RESULTS: No significant (P = .41) difference in plasma NT-proBNP levels was found between puppies without a murmur and puppies with an innocent murmur (median 300 versus 326 pmol/L), and between clinically healthy adult Cairn Terriers and Cairn Terrier puppies. Plasma NT-proBNP levels in puppies with a congenital heart disease were significantly (P < .001) higher than those in puppies with innocent murmurs (median 1,102 versus 326 pmol/L). However, some puppies with severe pulmonic stenosis did not have increased plasma NT-proBNP levels. On phonocardiograms, innocent murmurs had a significantly (P < .001) shorter "murmur-to-systole duration ratio" than the abnormal ones (median 66 versus 100%). The "murmur-to-S1 (first cardiac sound) amplitude ratio" was significantly (P < .001) lower of the innocent murmurs compared with that of the abnormal ones (median 16 versus 58 %). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Plasma NT-proBNP concentrations within the reference range do not rule out a congenital cardiac anomaly. Murmurs longer than 80% of the systole are most likely abnormal, whereas murmurs shorter than that could be either innocent or pathologic.

Effects of clopidogrel therapy on whole blood platelet aggregation, the Plateletworks® assay and coagulation parameters in cats with asymptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Although scientific evidence is limited, clopidogrel is frequently used as prophylaxis for arterial thromboembolism in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). OBJECTIVES: Evaluating effects of clopidogrel therapy in asymptomatic cats with HCM on (1) conventional whole blood aggregation (WBA), (2) alternative platelet aggregation assessed with tubes of the Plateletworks® assay and (3) standard coagulation parameters. ANIMALS AND METHODS: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Fourteen asymptomatic HCM cats were randomly allocated to receive placebo (n = 5) or clopidogrel (18.75 mg/cat q24h, n = 9) as part of a larger study. Aggregation responses (to 20 µM adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and 10 µg/ml collagen) in WBA and the Plateletworks® assay and standard coagulation parameters were evaluated at baseline and after seven days of therapy. RESULTS: Clopidogrel therapy significantly reduced aggregation responses to ADP and collagen in the Plateletworks® agonists tubes (ADP and collagen: P < 0.001), but did not significantly reduce aggregation responses to ADP and collagen in the WBA technique (ADP: P = 0.07, collagen: P = 0.30). Clopidogrel therapy did not show a significant effect on prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, antithrombin, D-dimers and fibrinogen concentrations. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Clopidogrel therapy at a dose of 18.75 mg/cat q24h for seven days causes a significant decrease in in vitro platelet aggregation evaluated with the Plateletworks® assay, without affecting standard coagulation parameters in cats with asymptomatic HCM.

Effect of Pimobendan in Dogs with Preclinical Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease and Cardiomegaly: The EPIC Study-A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Pimobendan is effective in treatment of dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Its effect on dogs before the onset of CHF is unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Administration of pimobendan (0.4-0.6 mg/kg/d in divided doses) to dogs with increased heart size secondary to preclinical MMVD, not receiving other cardiovascular medications, will delay the onset of signs of CHF, cardiac-related death, or euthanasia. ANIMALS: 360 client-owned dogs with MMVD with left atrial-to-aortic ratio ≥1.6, normalized left ventricular internal diameter in diastole ≥1.7, and vertebral heart sum >10.5. METHODS: Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded, multicenter clinical trial. Primary outcome variable was time to a composite of the onset of CHF, cardiac-related death, or euthanasia. RESULTS: Median time to primary endpoint was 1228 days (95% CI: 856-NA) in the pimobendan group and 766 days (95% CI: 667-875) in the placebo group (P = .0038). Hazard ratio for the pimobendan group was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.47-0.87) compared with the placebo group. The benefit persisted after adjustment for other variables. Adverse events were not different between treatment groups. Dogs in the pimobendan group lived longer (median survival time was 1059 days (95% CI: 952-NA) in the pimobendan group and 902 days (95% CI: 747-1061) in the placebo group) (P = .012). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Administration of pimobendan to dogs with MMVD and echocardiographic and radiographic evidence of cardiomegaly results in prolongation of preclinical period and is safe and well tolerated. Prolongation of preclinical period by approximately 15 months represents substantial clinical benefit.

Innocent Cardiac Murmur in Puppies: Prevalence, Correlation with Hematocrit, and Auscultation Characteristics.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to establish the prevalence of innocent cardiac murmurs in clinically healthy puppies, to investigate a possible correlation between the presence of an innocent murmur and hematocrit, and to describe the auscultation characteristics of innocent murmurs. HYPOTHESIS: Lower hematocrit contributes to the genesis of innocent murmurs. ANIMALS: Five hundred and eighty-four client-owned clinically healthy puppies, between 20 and 108 days old. METHODS: Two cross-sectional surveys with a 1-year (n = 389 pups) pilot and a half-year (n = 195 pups) principal study periods. Cardiac auscultation was performed by a single, board-certified cardiologist. Hematocrit was measured with an automatized hematology analyzer. Echocardiography was performed only on puppies with a cardiac murmur in the principal study. RESULTS: In the pilot study, 15% of the dogs had a murmur. Innocent murmur was diagnosed in 28% of the 195 dogs in the principal study. Innocent murmurs were systolic, mostly with a musical character and with a maximal intensity of 2 of 6, and mostly with the point of maximal intensity in the left cardiac base. The hematocrit was significantly lower in the group with a murmur compared to the group without (P = .023). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Innocent murmur was a common finding in puppies at the age when the first veterinary controls usually take place. Physiologic anemia contributes to the genesis of innocent murmurs in puppies. Rising hematocrit in growing puppies can explain the spontaneous disappearance of innocent murmurs with aging. Hematocrit did not differentiate innocent murmurs from abnormal murmurs.

[Heart failure due to atrial standstill in a cat]. / Hartfalen door atriale stilstand bij een kat.

A 7.5-year-old male Persian cat with a history of asymptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was examined for severe lethargy and dyspnoea. Physical examination revealed bradycardia (60 beats/ minute), and ECG investigation revealed persistent atrial standstill that was most likely caused by atrial fibrosis. Persistent atrial standstill is a very rare cardiac condition in cats and is characterized by a complete lack of mechanical, electrical, and possibly endocrine function of the atria. Several pathophysiological mechanisms can cause atrial standstill and include hyperkalaemia, intoxication, and atrialfibrosis. On the basis of the clinical findings, atrial fibrosis was the most likely cause of atrial standstill in this cat. Treatment depends on the underlying cause, but pacemaker implantation can be considered if there are structural abnormalities. The prognosis is guarded in such cases. In this particular case, the cat was euthanized at the owner's request.

[Mitral valve dysplasia in a cat causing reversible left ventricular hypertrophy and dynamic outflow tract obstruction]. / Mitraalklepdysplasie als oorzaak voor een reversibele hypertrofie en dynamische uitstroombaanobstructie van de linker ventrikel bij een kat.

A 6-month-old male European shorthair cat was examined because of a 2/6 systolic left apical cardiac murmur. Echocardiography revealed severe concentric left ventricular hypertrophy and severe dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (pressure gradient of 85 mmHg) caused by systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the septal mitral valve leaflet. After 2 months of oral treatment with atenolol, the cardiac murmur had disappeared. Echocardiography showed only slight thickening of the interventricular septum and resolution of the pressure gradient. The cat was discharged and its owner was advised to continue atenolol lifelong. Echocardiographic findings of a combination of left ventricular concentric hypertrophy and dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction can be caused by hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) or mitral valve dysplasia in the absence of hypertension and fixed aortic stenosis. In the case of HOCM, left ventricular hypertrophy is the primary process. In the case of mitral valve dysplasia, systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve is the primary problem, which leads to dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and ultimately to left ventricular concentric hypertrophy, due to pressure overload. If the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction is reduced with an oral beta-receptor blocker the secondary left ventricular hypertrophy may resolve. This would not happen in the case of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented case of severe dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and severe left ventricular hypertrophy in a cat successfully treated with oral atenolol.

[Resolution of ascites after successful balloon dilatation of cortriatriatum dexter in a dog]. / Verdwijnen van ascites na succesvolle ballondilatatie van een cor triatriatum dexter bij een hond.

A 9-month-old male American Cocker Spaniel was examined for progressive abdominal distension, tachypnoea, and decreased appetite. Physical examination revealed signs of congestion in the caudal body half only (ascites, congested saphenic vein), and abdominocentesis yielded a modified transudate. Echocardiography revealed an abnormal membrane in the right atrium and cor triatriatum dexter was diagnosed; the diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterization. Successful treatment consisted of balloon dilatation of the pinpoint opening in the abnormal membrane. The dog recovered well, with the ascites resolving within a week, and its further development was normal.

[Case report: double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV), ventricular septal defect, and double caudal vena cava in a cat]. / Gecompartimentaliseerde rechter ventrikel, ventrikelseptumdefect en dubbel aangelegde vena cava caudalis bij een kat.

The clinical signs and symptoms, radiographic and echocardiographic findings, and the results of cardiac post-mortem and histopathological examination of a 1-year-old female European shorthair cat with a double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV), small ventricular septal defect, and double caudal vena cava are described. A review of the literature is given with respect to the symptoms, diagnostic techniques, and therapy of DCRV in the cat. DCRV is a rare congenital defect in which stenosis inside the right ventricle causes symptoms similar to those seen in pulmonary stenosis. A diagnosis can be made by echocardiography. Little is known about its natural history and prognosis. Medical treatment, balloon dilatation, and surgery have been used to treat this defect with variable outcome. A double caudal vena cava is not clinically relevant.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of partially attenuated congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts in 14 dogs.

Doppler ultrasonography was used to evaluate the portal vein in 14 dogs before, immediately after and four weeks after a partial ligation of a congenital extrahepatic portocaval shunt. By four weeks after the operation, the hepatofugal or zero flow in the portal vein segment cranial to the shunt origin had become a hepatopetal flow in 13 of the dogs, which became clinically healthy. The other dog continued to have a hepatofugal flow in the portal vein cranial to the origin of the shunt and continued to show clinical signs of hepatic encephalopathy. The shunt remained functional in six of the dogs, and three of them developed portosystemic collaterals in addition. In the other eight dogs the patent shunt was non-functional, because a hepatopetal flow was detected in the shunt adjacent to the portal vein. This flow was the result of the splenic vein entering the shunt, and the splenic blood dividing; some flowed via the shunt towards the portal vein, preventing the portal blood from shunting, and the rest flowed via the attenuated shunt segment to the caudal vena cava. Shunting of the splenic venous blood was clinically insignificant.

Portal hypertension in a dog due to circumscribed fibrosis of the wall of the extrahepatic portal vein.

A two-and-a-half-year-old German shepherd dog with ascites and a high concentration of blood ammonia was investigated. Sonographically, its liver was normal but the portal vein was dilated and the flow of blood within it was slow. A liver biopsy showed that the liver was normal, and did not reveal any possible cause of portal hypertension or ascites. Postmortem, the cranial part of the portal vein was dilated with a cross-striped internal surface, but the caudal part looked normal; there was a stenotic ring between the normal and dilated parts. Histology of the dilated segment revealed marked hypertrophy of both the internal circular and the external longitudinal smooth muscle layers. At the site of the stenosis, the longitudinal muscular layer was replaced by connective tissue. Circumscribed fibrosis in the wall of the portal vein was responsible for the stenosis and the subsequent prehepatic portal hypertension. The cross-striped pattern in the dilated part of the vein was the result of hypertrophy of the inner circular smooth muscle layer.

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage for treatment of pyonephrosis in two dogs.

Pyonephrosis refers to suppurative destruction of the parenchyma of the kidney with complete or nearly complete loss of renal function. In dogs, nephrectomy is still the most common treatment for pyonephrosis; however, in the present report, a method for percutaneous ultrasound-guided drainage of the renal pelvis in dogs with pyonephrosis that does not require local or general anesthesia was described, and results of the procedure in 2 dogs were reported. Briefly, dogs were positioned in lateral recumbency with the affected side up, and skin overlying the affected kidney was aseptically prepared. The dilated renal pelvis was punctured percutaneously, under ultrasound guidance, with a 22-gauge needle, and a sample of material was obtained for analysis. The needle was then replaced with an IV catheter, and as much pus as possible was removed from the renal collecting system. A povidone iodine solution was then used to lavage the renal pelvis. Ultrasound-guided drainage and lavage of the renal pelvis was repeated daily until the renal pelvis was so small that it could no longer be punctured. Both dogs recovered and were reported by the owners to be healthy after the procedure.

Prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs in some urban and rural areas of Hungary.

A total of 490 canine faecal specimens collected in the eastern and northern regions of Hungary were examined for helminth eggs. From the results it appears that more than 50% of the dogs were infected with at least one parasite species. The prevalence of eggs (%) in the two regions was as follows: Toxocara canis (24.3-30.1); Trichuris vulpis (20.4-23.3); Ancylostomatidae (8.1-13.1); Capillaria spp. (0-7.3); Toxascaris leonina (2.1-0); Taenia-type (2.8-2.4); Dipylidium caninum (0.4-1); coccidia (3.5-3.4). Of the positive dogs, 8.5-18.1% harboured two or more species of parasites. The prevalence of parasitic infection was also evaluated according to the maintenance, feeding, and age of the animals. The significance of zoonotic diseases (echinococcosis, toxocarosis, ancylostomatidosis) caused by intestinal helminths makes it necessary to know the infection status of domestic dogs and to take measures for control.

Normal duplex Doppler waveforms of major abdominal blood vessels in dogs: a review.

The normal flow velocity profile and duplex Doppler waveform of the major abdominal blood vessels (aorta, caudal vena cava and the portal vein as well as their major branches) were examined by Doppler ultrasound. The flow velocity profile of an artery is largely determined by its diameter. The pulsatility of the waveform is related to the vascular impedance downstream to the point of measurement. Early systolic peak is present in the Doppler pattern of some vessels in some dogs. The waveform of the veins is mainly affected by the pressure conditions of the right atrium and the intrathoracic and intraabdominal pressure changes due to the respiration. Simultaneous electrocardiogram was used to reveal the effect of the heart beats on the Doppler patterns of the veins.

Doppler-ultrasonographic detection of retrograde pulsatile flow in the caudal vena cava of a puppy with cor triatriatum dexter.

A three-month-old puppy had ascites, but its heart was normal by auscultation. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed an enlarged liver, distended hepatic veins and a distended caudal vena cava. Doppler ultrasonography detected retrograde flow in the caudal vena cava and abnormally pulsatile flow in the hepatic veins and caudal vena cava. A non-selective venogram was used to detect the path of the blood from the caudal vena cava. A postmortem examination showed that the puppy had cor triatriatum dexter and a defect in the atrial septum.