Radiological analysis of mitral insufficiency among dogs in Croatia

ABSTRACT A sample of 317 dogs with radiologically diagnosed acquired heart diseases was studied. Of the above number, 225 (70.98%) had mitral insufficiency, 54 (17.03%) had dilation cardiomyopathy, 28 (8.83%) had cor pulmonale, 5 (1.58%) had pericarditis, 3 (0.95%) had arterial stenosis, and 2 (0.63%) had stenosis of the pulmonary artery. Mitral insufficiency is among the most frequent of acquired heart diseases. A strong predisposition to this disease among smalland medium-size breeds of dogs was observed. Thus, mitral insufficiency was diagnosed in 211 out of 238 dogs belonging to those breeds (88.66%), and only in 14 out of 79 of large breeds (17.72%). In the smalland medium-sized breed group the incidence was higher among males; (58.77% of males and 41.23% of females, respectively). Also, males show a tendency to develop more severe grades of the disease than females.