Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs of heart rhythm problems in English bulldogs with heart disease
By Cunningham, Suzanne M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2018·From the Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical Features of English Bulldogs with Presumed Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy: 31 Cases (2001-2013).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 31 English Bulldogs, averaging 9 years old, were diagnosed with a heart condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), which can lead to serious heart problems. Symptoms varied: some dogs showed no signs, while others had noticeable heart issues or even congestive heart failure. Unfortunately, four dogs died suddenly, and many others were euthanized due to heart-related problems. The average survival time for these dogs after diagnosis was about 8 months. This highlights the importance of monitoring heart health in English Bulldogs, especially as they age.
People also search for: English Bulldog heart problems · ARVC in dogs symptoms · congestive heart failure in English Bulldogs · dog sudden death heart issues
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an important cause of sudden death in people and boxer dogs that has recently been described in English bulldogs. The objective of this retrospective study was to describe the clinical characteristics of English bulldogs with presumed ARVC. The medical records were searched for English bulldogs examined between 2001 and 2013 with a clinical diagnosis of ARVC. The average age of the 31 dogs identified was 9.2 ± 1.6 yr (range 7-13 yr). Males were overrepresented by a factor of 2.9 to 1. At initial presentation, 5 dogs had subclinical arrhythmia, 10 dogs had clinical signs attributable to arrhythmia, and 16 dogs had congestive heart failure. Eighteen dogs (58%) had ventricular tachycardia and five (16%) also had supraventricular arrhythmias. Four dogs experienced sudden death, 2 dogs died from congestive heart failure, 11 dogs were euthanized for cardiac causes, and 2 dogs died or were euthanized for noncardiac causes. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a median survival time of 8.3 mo. This is the first study to describe the clinical characteristics of a population of English bulldogs with presumed ARVC. Further studies are needed to better characterize the clinical features of the disease in this breed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29372871/