Field Guide · Glossary
Echocardiography
Health and safetyAn ultrasound scan of the heart, used to measure the size of its chambers, the thickness of its walls and how well it pumps.
How it works
It is the only way to confirm dilated cardiomyopathy, because the changes that define the disease are structural and cannot be established from symptoms, blood work or a stethoscope. That has a consequence for what is known about the disease overall: because the scan requires a specialist and costs several hundred dollars, many dogs are never scanned, and cases that are never confirmed are never counted.
What it looks like
A dog with a heart murmur is referred for a scan. The measurements show normal chamber size and normal function, which rules out the disease rather than leaving it as a possibility.
Commonly confused with
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- The disease is the condition. Echocardiography is the scan that confirms it. A dog can be suspected of having the disease on other evidence and only a scan settles it.
Related terms
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