Simple Blood Test for Canine and Feline Heart Disease
By: MJ REYNOLDS
Posted: Nov.16.07
'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.
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