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SUMMARY
Objectives: Irish Wolfhounds are greatly affected by cardiac disorders -especially by dilated cardiomyopathy - all around the world. The aim of the study -was to assess the prevalence of cardiac disorders among Irish Wolfhounds in Hungary and to validate the normal echocardiographic parameters of this breed.Materials and Methods: Thorough cardiac examinations –including 6-leads electrocardiography and B- and M-mode echocardiography– were performed on 44 Irish Wolfhounds, representing about 10% of the Hungarian population of this breed. There were 22 males and 22 females, their weight ranged from 44 to 70 kg in age of 4 month to 9.5 years.Results and Discussion: 39 of the 44 examined Irish Wolfhounds were symptomless animals, without any signs of cardiac disease. There were 20 of 44 ani-mals (45.45%) with some form of heart disease, while 24 of 44 dogs (54.55%) had no detectable cardiac alterations. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) was diagnosed in 4 dogs (9.09%), mitral endocardosis and heartworm disease were found in one-one animal. Primary rhythm disturbances –without morphological alterations– were revealed in 14 dogs (31.81%). Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic measurements of the healthy individuals were similar to already pub-lished data. No association was found between the thyroid state and cardiac disorders in those 10 dogs, where T4-levels were also determined. The prevalence of cardiac alterations in this breed was similar to other countries’ results, however dilated cardiomyopathy was diagnosed less frequently.
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