title: Clinical and electrocardiographic findings in suspected viral myocarditis of pups.
abstract: Surviving puppies from three separate litters in which deaths had occurred from suspected viral myocarditis were examined clinically and electrocardiographically. Of 11 puppies examined, 5 subsequently died or were euthanised within 11 days of initial examination. ECG changes present in these puppies for 1 to 11 days prior to death were small R waves (less than 0.4 mV in lead II), S-T segment elevation, QRS notching and paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia (PVT). No clinical signs referable to the ECG changes were present before the terminal episodes of apparent sudden death or death following a brief period of dyspnoea. Multifocial subacute myocarditis was present on post-mortem examination. A sixth puppy with small R waves remained clinically normal for a further 4 weeks. It then developed severe dyspnoea which persisted for 24 hours before euthanasia. Extensive fibrosis of the left ventricle was present on post-mortem examination.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004285:Dogs; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*