Background: Veterinary literature lacks data about cardiovascular–renal disorders (CvRD) and cardiorenal-anemia syndrome (CRAS) in dogs. Hypothesis: A direct correlation exists between ACVIM class and IRIS stage; chronic kidney disease (CKD) complicates chronic mitral valve disease (CMVD) more often than does anemia in dogs. Animals: One hundred and fifty-eight client-owned dogs with CMVD. Methods: Signalment, physical examination findings, electrocardiography, thoracic radiographs, echocardiography, and blood analysis were retrospectively evaluated to assess the prevalence of CKD and anemia in dogs with CMVD and to investigate the relationships among ACVIM class, IRIS stage, and survival. Results: The prevalence of CKD and anemia in dogs with CMVD was significantly higher than in the general population of dogs. Dogs being treated for heart failure had a significantly higher prevalence of CKD than did dogs that had not received treatment. A statistically significant direct correlation was found between ACVIM class and IRIS stage. Severe heart disease, severe renal disease or both, furosemide administration, and advanced age at diagnosis of heart disease were associated with shorter survival time. Survival time of dogs affected by CvRD was statistically shorter than survival time of dogs affected by CMVD alone. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Chronic mitral valve disease is associated with increased prevalence of CKD and anemia in dogs. Treatment for medical management of heart failure may play a role in inducing CKD. Class of heart disease and IRIS stage were directly correlated. Cardiovascular–renal disorders decrease survival time compared to the only presence of CMVD alone, whereas anemia does not play a central role in worsening heart function.

Background Cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have decreased left ventricular (LV) longitudinal deformation detected by mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and speckle tracking echocardiography. People with preclinical HCM have decreased systolic LV longitudinal and radial strain (S) and strain rate (SR), with preserved circumferential S and SR. Hypothesis/Objectives Cats with preclinical HCM have decreased systolic LV deformation compared to normal cats. Animals Seventy‐three client‐owned cats with (n = 37) and without (n = 36) preclinical HCM. Methods Retrospective echocardiographic study. Left and right ventricular longitudinal S and SR, LV radial and circumferential S and SR were calculated by STE. Left ventricular mass was also calculated. Correlation between STE variables and LV hypertrophy was determined and receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted for prediction of HCM. Results Cats with HCM had smaller absolute longitudinal S (−14.8 ± 3.3% vs −19.7 ± 2.7%, P < .001), longitudinal SR (−2.36 ± 0.62 vs −2.95 ± 0.68 second⁻¹, P < .001), radial S (46.2 ± 21.3% vs 66.7 ± 17.6%, P < .001), and radial SR (5.60 ± 2.08 vs 6.67 ± 1.8 second⁻¹, P < .001) compared to healthy controls. No difference was observed for circumferential S and SR. Cats with HCM had greater LV mass (13.2 ± 3.7 g vs 8.6 ± 2.7 g, P < .001). The ROC with the greatest area under the curve (AUC) for the identification of HCM (0.974) was plotted from a logistic regression equation combining LV mass, MAPSE at the free wall, and LV internal diameter in diastole (LVIDd). Conclusions and clinical importance Cats with preclinical HCM have decreased long axis and radial deformation. Decreased longitudinal deformation and decreased LVIDd are factors that would support a diagnosis of HCM.

Left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction is associated with increased risk of death in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE and TAPSE, respectively) are measures of longitudinal systolic function and are reduced in human patients with HCM. Cats with HCM have lower MAPSE and TAPSE compared to control cats; lower MAPSE and TAPSE are associated with the presence of congestive heart failure (CHF) and reduced survival time. 64 cats with HCM and 27 healthy cats. Forty-five cats with HCM were not showing clinical signs, and 19 had CHF. Retrospective study. Anatomic M-mode from the left apical 4-chamber view was used to record MAPSE from the free wall (MAPSE FW) and septum (MAPSE IVS) and TAPSE. Compared to controls, cats with HCM had lower MAPSE IVS (controls 5.2 [4.6–5.6] mm, asymptomatic HCM 4.7 [4.1–5.2] mm, HCM with CHF 2.6 [2.5–3.2] mm, P < .001), MAPSE FW (controls 5.9 [5.3–6.2] mm, asymptomatic HCM 4.7 [4.1–5.1] mm, HCM with CHF 2.8 [2.4–3.2] mm) and TAPSE (controls 8.6 [7.4–10.2] mm, asymptomatic HCM 7.2 [6.3–8.2] mm, HCM with CHF 4.6 [4.1–5.4] mm), with the lowest in the CHF group. Univariate survival analysis showed a shorter survival in cats displaying lower MAPSE IVS, MAPSE FW, and TAPSE. MAPSE and TAPSE were lower in cats with HCM than in control cats and were lowest in CHF, suggesting that systolic longitudinal dysfunction is present in cats with HCM. MAPSE and TAPSE have potential prognostic significance.

Objectives: Feline cardiomyopathies (CMs) represent a heterogeneous group of myocardial diseases. The most common CM is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), followed by restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM). Studies comparing survival and outcome for different types of CM are scant. Furthermore, little is known about the cardiovascular consequences of systemic diseases on survival. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare survival and prognostic factors in cats affected by HCM, RCM or secondary CM referred to our institution over a 10 year period. Methods: The study included 94 cats with complete case records and echocardiographic examination. Fifty cats presented HCM, 14 RCM and 30 secondary CM. Results: A statistically significant difference in survival time was identified for cats with HCM (median survival time of 865 days), RCM (273 days) and secondary CM (<50% cardiac death rate). In the overall population and in the primary CM group (HCM + RCM), risk factors in the multivariate analysis, regardless of the CM considered, were the presence of clinical signs, an increased left atrial to aortic root (LA/Ao) ratio and a hypercoagulable state. Conclusions and relevance: Primary CMs in cats share some common features (ie, LA dimension and hypercoagulable state) linked to feline cardiovascular physiology, which influence survival greatly in end-stage CM. The presence of clinical signs has to be regarded as a marker of disease severity, regardless of the underlying CM. Secondary CMs are more benign conditions, but if the primary disease is not properly managed, the prognosis might also be poor in this group of patients.

Large studies focusing on restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) in the cat are scarce. The aims of this retrospective study were to describe epidemiological characteristics and to analyse prognostic factors affecting survival in cats with RCM. The clinical archives of the Gran Sasso Veterinary Clinic (Milan, Italy) and of the cardiology unit of the Department of Veterinary Medicine (University of Milan, Italy) from 1997–2015 were reviewed for all cats diagnosed with RCM based on an echocardiographic examination (left atrial/bi-atrial enlargement, normal left ventricle wall thickness, normal or mildly decreased systolic function and restrictive left ventricle filling pattern with pulsed Doppler echocardiography). The study population comprised 90 cats (53 male, 37 female) with an echocardiographic diagnosis of RCM. Most were domestic shorthairs (n = 60) with a mean ± SD age of 10.0 ± 4.3 years and a median weight of 3.8 kg (interquartile range 3.2–5 kg). Most cats were symptomatic (n = 87). The most common clinical sign was respiratory distress (n = 75). Follow-up was available for 60 cats and the median survival time (MST) was 69 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 0–175 days). Cardiac-related death occurred in 50 cats. In the multivariate Cox analysis only respiratory distress showed a statistically significant effect on survival. The cats without respiratory distress showed a MST of 466 days (95% CI 0–1208); cats with respiratory distress showing a MST of 64 days (95% CI 8–120; P = 0.011). RCM can be considered an end-stage condition associated with a poor prognosis, with few cats not showing clinical signs and surviving >1 year: most cats died of cardiac disease within a very short time.