Prevalence of Heart Disease in Dogs and Cats Treated in the Region of Marilia-Sao Paulo during the Period from 2019 to 2023

Heart diseases correspond to 10% of the attendances in the medical clinic of dogs and cats, which demonstrates the importance of the specialty along with the clinical diagnostic and therapeutic routine. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of heart diseases in dogs and cats in the region of Marilia/SP in the period from 2019 to 2023. For this, a database of echocardiographic reports was used referring to two specialized services in the area, identifying and collecting the definitive diagnosis of heart diseases, the species, race, sex, age and body weight of the patients. Medical records that did not have the data cited were excluded. The results accounted for 1813 reports in total, with 16.5% (n=299) excluded and 83.5% (n=1514) evaluated. In this context, 97.6% (n= 1477) were medical records of dogs and 2.4% (n=37) of cats, identifying female dogs in 53.9% (n=796) and feline males in 59.5% (n=22) as the main carriers of heart diseases. Canine acquired heart diseases accounted for 96.1% (n=1420) and congenital 3.9% (n=57), with the most prevalent breed the Poodle 21.5% (n=318), with mean age and body weight of 11.6±3.2 years and 8.3±7.4 kg of weight, respectively; mitral and tricuspid valve endocardiosis (acquired) accounted for 93.3% (n=1379) and patent ductus arteriosus with 1.3% (n=20) (congenital) were the most incident. Among felines, 56% (n=37) had heart disease and 44% (n=29) had no cardiac alterations, with 81% (n=30) having acquired cardiomyopathies and 19% (n=7) congenital, with a predominance of mixed breed in 67.5% (n=25), with a mean age of 8.4±5.3 years and mean body weight of 3.6±0.9 kg. Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was diagnosed in 64.9% (n=24) and atrial septal defect in 5.4% (n=2) of the cases. The data obtained and presented made it possible to determine the prevalence of heart diseases in the study period, in relation to species, breeds, body weight and age.