'Gibson is not only recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the Tallest Dog in the World, but also has the distinction of being one of the approximately 40 breeds of dogs at high risk to acquire heart disease," said Dr. Steve Ness, founding president of Veterinary Diagnostic Institute.

The risk of heart disease increases with age. Due to advances in veterinary care, dogs and cats are living longer, and more and more pets are experiencing cardiac disorders.

Also, certain breeds of dogs and cats are at an increased risk of acquiring heart disease, according to information from the American Veterinary Medical Association. In cats the most common form of heart disease is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), followed by restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM).The Main Coon, American Shorthair, and Persian are feline breeds especially at an increased risk for heart disease. Dogs on the other hand, most commonly experience mitral valve disease (MVD) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with large breed dogs most at risk for DCM and small breed dogs at higher risk for MVD.

In Gibson's case, as a great dane he is at high risk to acquire Dilated Cardiomyopathy. For this reason Gibson has his heart checked with Canine CardioCare and also serves as the official 'Spokes Dog' for Veterinary Diagnostics Institute (VDxI).

CardioCare is a simple blood test to detect heart disease and heart failure in cats and dogs, even before the onset of clinical signs. More details at Veterinary Diagnostics Institute.

Gibson travels the country creating awareness of heart disease in dogs and the availability of the CardioCare blood test. His very own book is being released in December titled "Gibson Speaks."

"Over a year ago we started providing veterinarians with the 1st and only blood test to detect heart disease and heart failure in dogs," said Dr. Ness. "On the human side they are measuring a cardiac peptide called BNP (B-type natriuretic peptide) in order to diagnose heart failure. We simply modified the human test and developed a canine and feline specific version."

It is cited that approximately 11% of all dogs have some form of heart disease. Heart disease and heart failure is a challenge for vets to recognize as very often the clinical signs are either non-specific or even absent. The BNP blood test is now an extra diagnostic tool to help vets identify and treat cardiac disease earlier.

Animal Radio:
Dr. Ness will discuss heart disease and heart failure in cats and dogs, and canine cancer as a featured guest on Animal Radio, at 5:10 p.m. PST, Sat. Nov. 17.

Animal Radio is the most widely listened to "pet show" in the nation aired on over 90 AM and FM stations across the country.

Early diagnosis of heart disease is important in order for the veterinarian to intervene and initiate a treatment regimen that will assist in delaying the progression of heart disease to heart failure, said Dr. Ness.

"Canine cancer is extremely difficult to diagnose because the majority of dogs do not display clinical signs of cancer until the very late terminal stages. Now, a simple blood test will assist veterinarians in screening for common canine malignancies in order that disease can be detected early. Early detection and treatment results in a better outcome for the animal."

Data validating the test for canine malignancies was presented Nov. 2 at the Veterinary Cancer Symposium. Data from a pilot study on a rapid point of care feline heart disease test will be presented in February at the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas.