Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Young Boxer dog with fast heart rate and heart muscle disease
By Foster, S F et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2006·University Veterinary Centre Sydney, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy in a young Boxer dog with supraventricular tachycardia due to an accessory pathway.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old male Boxer was brought in with a fast heart rate and signs of heart disease. The vet used a medication called lignocaine to stabilize his heart rhythm and later switched to procainamide, which helped keep his heart rate normal without serious side effects, except for a temporary change in his coat color. Further tests revealed an abnormal pathway in his heart causing the rapid heartbeat. The vet then performed a procedure to remove this pathway, and since then, the dog has been healthy with no signs of heart problems for nearly 10 years.
People also search for: Boxer dog fast heart rate treatment · dog heart disease symptoms · procainamide for dogs · heart rhythm problems in dogs
Abstract
A 1-year-old male Boxer dog presented with sustained supraventricular tachycardia and tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. Conversion to sinus rhythm was achieved initially with intravenous lignocaine and subsequently with oral procainamide. Oral procainamide treatment was relatively successful in maintaining normal sinus rhythm with no side effects apart from a reversible change in coat colour. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated the presence of an accessory pathway connecting the right atrium to the right ventricle and confirmed the diagnosis of orthodromic atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia. Radiofrequency catheter ablation of the accessory pathway led to permanent resolution of the supraventricular tachycardia and for 9.5 years the dog has had no further signs of cardiac disease. The successful treatment of this condition highlights the importance of differentiating tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy from dilated cardiomyopathy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16958630/