Risk Factors for Heart Disease in Pet Dogs Attended At a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Malaysia

Abstract

The distribution and risk factors of canine heart disease in Malaysia are still not widely studied. This retrospective study examined the distribution of common canine heart diseases and the role of gender, age group, and breed size as risk factors of the dogs in a teaching hospital in Malaysia. Medical records of all dogs presented between 2013 and 2020 with a heart disease diagnosed were reviewed and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was carried out to identify the risk factors for canine heart diseases in general and based on specific disease. In a duration of 7 years, a total of 9255 dog cases were presented and 7.9% (n=734, 95% CI: 0.07-0.09) of the dogs were diagnosed with heart disease. Majority of heart disease cases were valvular disease (n=528, 95% CI: 0.05-0.06), followed by heartworm disease (n=113. 95% CI: 0.01-0.01), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (n=90, 95% CI: 0.01-0.01). Senior (OR 3.54, 95% CI: 2.32-5.37) and small breed (OR 6.74, 95% CI: 4.51-10.1) dogs had higher risk for valvular disease, while large breed (OR 7.18, 95% CI: 4.00-13.01) dogs were at risk for heartworm disease. Male (OR 1.83, 95% CI:1.11-3.04) and large breed dogs (OR 3.12, 95% CI: 1.80-5.39) had greater risk for DCM, respectively. Gender, age group and breed size play important role in predicting the likelihood of heart diseases in dogs and are best to be applied in the context of specific heart diseases. Information obtained would assist clinicians with their clinical diagnosis of the heart disease.