Cardiac Auscultation in Dogs

Cardiac auscultation is a fancy term used by veterinarians for an external heart examination. The auscultation should be conducted by a veterinarian with extra instruction in cardiology or one that has been board certified in the specialty by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

  1. Purpose

    • While all dogs can develop heart conditions that require an in-depth cardiac exam, Cavalier King Charles spaniels are the most likely breed to develop heart problems and a condition called mitral valve disease (MVD). The early onset of this disease is often detected with auscultation. Using a stethoscope, a veterinarian will be able to detect a telltale heart murmur. Large breeds and dogs with a genetic history of heart conditions should also be examined.

    Exam Requirements

    • The auscultation is conducted in a quiet room in which the dog is usually restrained while standing. Though it is important during this test that the dog be calm, using sedatives is not recommended unless absolutely necessary, according to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Because some heart defects are difficult to detect, a vet must have absolute silence during this exam.

    Procedure

    • The vet will first find the dog's heart valves by moving the stethoscope slowly across the heart area in an effort to find the major heart functions, including the aorta, pulmonary artery, and the left craniodorsal cardiac base. A veterinarian will often cover a dog's mouth and nose to prevent it from breathing for a brief time while listening to the heart. If an animal is over-excited, the vet may wait until it is calm. Terri DeFrancesco, doctor of veterinary medicine, cautions vets not to confuse panting, shivering, or sounds of fur rubbing against the stethoscope as heart sounds.

    Types of Conditions

    • Auscultation can detect several different heart diseases, including aortic stenosis and subaortis stenosis (narrowing of the major blood vessel), MVD, tricuspid valve dysplasia (caused by a leaky valve) and cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle). Once the veterinarian conducts an auscultation, a report will be issued to the pet owner detailing results. This report is especially important for Cavalier King Charles spaniels, because they have such a high rate of MVD.

    Susceptible Breeds

    • Though any breed can develop a heart condition, the following breeds are more susceptible to heart problems and may at some point require auscultation: Newfoundlands, boxers, golden retrievers, rottweilers, bull terriers, Cairn terriers, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, miniature poodles, great danes, Irish wolfhounds, Saint Bernards, Scottish deerhounds and Labrador retrievers (see Ref. 4).