Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival factors in boxer dogs with heart rhythm disease
By Ditzler, B et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2024·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The role of vector-borne pathogens and cardiac Striatin genotype on survival in boxer dogs with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 64 adult boxer dogs with a heart condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) was studied to see how their genetic makeup and exposure to certain infections affected their survival. The findings showed that boxers with a specific genetic mutation had a much shorter survival time, averaging just 93 days, compared to those without the mutation, who lived significantly longer. Interestingly, being exposed to infections from certain pathogens did not seem to impact how long these dogs lived. This suggests that genetic testing for the Striatin mutation could help predict outcomes for boxers with ARVC.
People also search for: boxer dog heart disease survival · ARVC in boxers · Striatin genotype testing for dogs · boxer dog infections and heart problems
Abstract
INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Risk factors for severe disease in boxer dogs with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) are not well understood. This study's objective was to determine whether Striatin genotype or canine vector-borne pathogen (CVBP) exposure/infection in boxer dogs with ARVC was associated with disease severity or survival. ANIMALS: Sixty-four client-owned, adult boxer dogs with ARVC were included in the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective descriptive study. Disease severity was determined by echocardiography and Holter monitoring. Potential risk factors included CVBP exposure/infection (Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia spp., and Rickettsia spp.) and Striatin genotype. RESULTS: The median survival time after enrollment was 270 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 226-798 days), and the median age at the time of death or censoring was 11 years (95% CI: 10.3-11.7 years). Striatin mutation genotype results included 31 homozygous-negative, 26 heterozygous-positive, and seven homozygous-positive boxer dogs. Ten boxer dogs had exposure to Bartonella spp., four to Rickettsia, two to Ehrlichia spp., and one to Anaplasma spp. Striatin homozygous-positive boxer dogs had a shorter median survival time (93 days vs. 373 days for heterozygous [P=0.010] and 214 days for homozygous negative [P=0.036]). Exposure/infection to CVBP was not associated with median survival time or age at the time of death. DISCUSSION: Striatin homozygous positive boxer dogs with ARVC had shorter survival times and were younger at the time of death. Exposure or infection with CVBP did not appear to influence survival time. STUDY LIMITATIONS: Selection bias for more severe disease limited the ability to assess the relationship between CVBP infection/exposure and disease severity, and overall small sample size limited statistical power. Extracardiac disease and treatment protocols were not controlled. CONCLUSIONS: Striatin genotype screening can be considered for prognostic information. Exposure/infection to CVBP appears unlikely to influence survival time for boxer dogs with ARVC.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39418695/