I have found a cardiologist in scunthorpe who will test the dogs heart but they only listen with a stethoscope (not doppler or ECG) to check for murmurs so listen out for structural abnormalities? Is this enough to be heart screened clear? Is this a one off test? Thanks Louise

What does the breed club recommend and also what do others do in your breed?
After looking into Rotts and heart testing for AS it seems a few just do stethoscope but most do ECG, finally found a specialist today who will do both with scoring and certificate for £42...

I screen my GSPs but we have no recognised scheme. I use the boxer scheme recommendations and first screen using auscultation ( stethoscope ) if scored 0 or 1 would probably leave it at that but grade 2 or higher opt to follow up with Doppler ultrasound to identify exact structural abnormality and establish arterial blood pressure in arorta.

Auscultation exams can often be found at dog show testing sessions but Doppler requires expensive equipment so a trip to a cardiologists surgery would be required.

It depends on the breed Louise.
Some suffer from electrical anomalies in the heart like Dilated Cardio Myopathy.....dobes/boxers...ECG advised
Some have structural problems like faulty valves Mitral Valve Disease  or a narrowing of the blood vessel leaving the heart as in Aortic Stenosis. Stethescope exam is the norm and scored 0 (clear) through to 6 ( severely affected) for both AS and MVD

Many vets offer colour doppler for visualising the structure of the heart and it is certainly more accurate.... but of little use in DCM.

This would be for my frenchie and dogues. Klb this is what I've been told and if the stethoscope is enough for a clear then I'm fine with that. The dogues seem to suffer DCM having known of several dogues that have passed from this.

Many vets offer colour doppler for visualising the structure of the heart and it is certainly more accurate.... but of little use in DCM.

This isn't true. There is currently a study being run at University of Liverpool Small Teaching Hospital and they use Echo Doppler to diagnose and study the heart in this study.

Clubs don't recommend anything and personally I don't think are proactive when it comes to health issues, directing puppy enquiries to members seems there only standing point. do as I say not as i do? Not Too many other breeders hipscore and even less heart screen. Those that I can think of are over 6 hours away in wales or Durham.

Hi Louise, the Cardiologist uses the stethoscope for testing the Frenchies, we took Michael, Mimi and Rita down to the Scottish Boxer Club ch show to be tested, four and a half hours trip each way, £12.50 for each dog (all zero). Simon Swift was the Cardiologist, lots of Boxer, Dobermann, Cavalier, Newfie Clubs do heart testing. You'll need the Veterinary Certificate of Heart Testing completed by the Cardiologist if it's for the Silver level.

Current DDBCGB Health Scheme:

BRONZE AWARD 6+ months
The dog must be micro chipped
Have a full vet/health check (forms will be provided by the club)

SILVER AWARD 12 + months
The dog must be micro chipped and DNA profiled
Have a full vet check (forms will be provided by the club)
BVA Hip Score and BVA Elbow Score

GOLD AWARD 12+ months
The dog must be micro chipped and DNA profiled
Have a full vet check (forms will be provided by the club)
BVA Hip Score below 25
BVA Elbow Score 2 and below
Clear BVA Eye Test
BVA Heart Test

What a shame you didn't ask last week, the Essex Boxer Club had heart testing at the champ show this weekend just gone :)

I can't think of any that are coming up that have testing but our breed council website does have a list of approved cardiologists and their practice address.

thanks snoringbear the website seems to be offline at the moment not that i visit it often, but how long has this scheme been in place as this is the first i have heard of it and i dont know of any dogues under the scheme

Hi Louise, could i have the details of the cardiologist in scunthorpe please?

http://www.ashbyroadveterinaryscunthorpe.co.uk

Site is working but that's not on it. Scheme just started recently.

Forgot to add that eye testing is available at the next club match in May.