Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart disease causes death in insured Swedish dogs under 10 years
By Egenvall, Agneta et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2006·Department of Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Heart disease as a cause of death in insured Swedish dogs younger than 10 years of age.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that heart disease is a significant cause of death in dogs under 10 years old, particularly affecting certain breeds. Among 405,376 insured dogs, 3,049 died from heart-related issues, with Irish Wolfhounds, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and Great Danes having the highest rates of cardiac death. Male dogs were more likely to die from heart disease than females. Understanding these risks can help veterinarians make better diagnoses and guide breeders in taking preventive measures to protect at-risk breeds.
People also search for: dog heart disease symptoms · Irish Wolfhound heart problems · Cavalier King Charles Spaniel lifespan · Great Dane heart disease prevention
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Population-based information on disease occurrence is paramount in clinical decision making and in designing preventative measures, but such information is scarce. HYPOTHESIS: The risk of cardiac death is higher in certain breeds and mortality varies by age and sex. DOGS: Dogs that were life insured by an animal insurance company between 1995 and 2002. METHODS: The mortality pattern for heart disease in insured dogs up to 10 years of age was studied. The influences of sex, age, breed, month, and geographic location were investigated by means of incidence rates, proportions, and survival proportions. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model time to heart disease. RESULTS: 405,376 dogs contributed to a denominator of 1,431,933 dog-years at risk (DYAR) and 3,049 dogs had been assigned a cardiac-related diagnosis as cause of death. The cardiac-related mortality for dogs <10 years of age, was 21.3 deaths per 10,000 DYAR. This mortality in males and females was 27.3 deaths and 15.4 deaths per 10,000 DYAR, respectively. Twelve of 54 breeds had a point estimate above the overall rate. The 3 breeds with the highest point estimates were: Irish Wolfhounds, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and Great Danes (rates of 356, 247, and 179 deaths per 10,000 DYAR, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Breed, age, and sex affect cardiac mortality in certain breeds of dogs, but no effects of month and geographic location were identified. These findings can assist clinicians in establishing diagnoses, and can assist breeders in defining priorities for preventative measures.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16955814/