I find this disturbing

[Angela]

I just got Newf Tide and read the report from the Cardiologist at the National last May.

Only 43 dogs were checked for cardiac status during the 3 days he attended. Of those, 26 were normal and the others were either equivical or had heart problems.

Why would only 43 dogs get checked when the cardiologist gives a reduced rate at a National? Do the majority of Newf attendees there not care to get their dogs checked? If not, then why not?

We talk about the Cruciate surveys that are being done both in Michigan and Liverpool which is good, but why isn't it so important to try to determine what causes SAS etc and getting more Newfs checked out there?

I don't know how many Newfs attended the National this year, but it saddens me that very few seem to care.

Unless, of course, all the other Newfs are Cardiac clear by a Cardiologist prior to that event (which I don't really believe)

JMHO as an SAS owner.

 

[Ivoryudx]

I'm not sure but given there was only 1 Cardiologist and I think they only did it for 1 or 2 days, I would think that number would probably be about all that one person could schedule.

The sad part is so many who were either equivical or had heart problems.

Just a thought,

 

[Angela]

The article states he was there for 3 days!

 

[Pipelineozzy]

Even so...3 days, divided by that number of dogs..seems like a reasonable number to me.
There are also people who are not comfortable with having it done at that type of setting and would rather have it done at a clinic.

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

The cardiologist was available and in the lobby of the hotel, so not hard to find. Roxy was one of the normal ones. It worked out for me, timing wise, so I did it there. The reduced rate was great. But if the timing was not right, I would have done it previously or waited and done it at a later time. So that may have been the case for some.

 

[Ginny]

I may have thrown off the numbers...I had 4 scheduled and had to cancel at the last minute. I'm not sure whether they were able to fill those slots. I'd think many have had their dogs checked previously. I have with mine, but I feel like another set of ears, at a later date, can't be a bad thing.

 

[dee]

Large number of the entry are puppies who would be too young for OFA Cardio Certification. Many of the adults have probably (hopefully) been examined prior to the National. And many folks--and I'm one of them--may prefer to see their own cardiologist(s) rather than attend a clinic with an unfamiliar cardiologist.

 

[janices]

It's just me. Rather have my normal cardiologist do my checks. I don't like going to an unfamiliar cardiologist.

 

[Angela]

OK, I guess I am wrong
My thinking comes from the fact that the nearest Cardiologist to me is in Seattle, Washington, United States which is a long journey.
It didn't occur to me that most of you have access to Cardiologists closer to you.

This same Cardiologist was at the Monteray CA National where I had my dogs checked out and when one was diagnosed with the murmur this Cardiologist did doppler him, much cheaper and no shaving.

I would just like to add, I don't breed or show in conformation, BUT to me it is important to have their hearts checked by a specialist especially given that there seem to be many with heart problems in the breed.

 

[newfvo]

Some things to also keep in mind. A doppler appointment took longer then simple ausculation and the cardiologist was only there half a day on the final day. (I was his last appointment which he needed to move up to accomodated a flight change)

This being said, I too was shocked to see the low number of dogs who took advantage of this service. I understand the reasons stated such as comfort with their own cardio, timing,ect. and I think that they have merit. But this was an opportunity to have a doppler done at significant savings (they didn't shave my dogs) and to have another set of ears listen, as Ginny stated. The Cardiologist from UC Davis was WONDERFUL and believe me, I have been to cardiologists in 6 states!

Our club sponsors a cardio clinic in conjunction with our Regional Specialty and the all-breed show in cold, snowy Minnesota in DECEMBER and we see more then that amount in 1 day! Granted it is a LONG day but come on, to tell me that I had 10% of the appointments at the National Specialty is crazy. I am afraid that this wonderful service will no longer be offered if there isn't more participation.

 

[janices]

I got my Newf Tide yesterday. Saw the article and was disappointed with the numbers saw. For puppy owners it's great opportunity of reduced cost.

This is just me. I find variances in skills of cardiologists with dopplering. My cardiologist is familiar with newfs, owns newfs and know her skill level. So much more comfortable with her. I've had done by others but always redo my newfs with my regular cardiologist.

 

[NewfieMama]

I'm curious, why would you get an adult checked if s/he was already cleared as a pup? Is this only for breeding purposes? Or can a dog develop a heart problem as an adult that doesn't have any symptoms unless checked by a cardiologist?

 

[Sun Valley]

Mary,

Because SAS is a developmental problem, even young puppies cleared via a Cardiologist can miss a very mild SAS....hence the reason for a Cardiologist to clear them as adults.

Lou Ann

 

[2Paws]

Henry was cleared as a puppy but I had him checked again when he was two by a cardiologist and got his OFA clearances at that time. The numbers are low but maybe most of the people attending the show have already had that health check done. Just a thought.....

 

[Sun Valley]

This is just me. I find variances in skills of cardiologists with dopplering. cardiologist.

Your absolutely right about that Janice.

I think I may mentioned before I placed a male puppy 4 years ago who had a murmur and was dopplered by 3 different Cardiologists and all 3 gave different diagnosis. One said mild SAS, one said pulmonic stenosis, and the last Cardiologist said his heart was equivocal.

Lou Ann

 

[2Paws]

That's why I like going to my own cardiologist who was recommended by other newfie owners. There are too many variances in the diagnosis.

 

[ardeagold]

Henry was cleared as a puppy but I had him checked again when he was two by a cardiologist and got his OFA clearances at that time. The numbers are low but maybe most of the people attending the show have already had that health check done. Just a thought.....

The same with mine, but checked again with a board certified cardiologist at a year (minimum age for an OFA clearance).

I wouldn't feel a need to go back to a cardiologist, after the one year (or anytime thereafter) clearance, if during regular checkups my Vet doesn't hear any heart problems.

I think *some* take the initial puppy exam to be the final conclusion.

There was a thread here a few years ago where you'd keep seeing the word "cleared" when people were talking about puppies that had been checked by a Cardiologist while still with their breeder. Few, if any, were actually Dopplered, they were only auscultated. It appeared to me that some thought this was good enough. However, OFA has a minimum age for a "clearance" (or admission into the database) for a reason. And it isn't an initial puppy check up...Cardiologist or not.

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

If the cardiologist ran into heart problems that required a doppler, etc, then it could have taken a while to get each dog through the exam.

When we had Lucy's cardiac check done at one of the Nationals, I know we really held up the process and messed up people's appointment times. That was where we found out that Lucy was born without flaps on her tricuspid valve, and the cardiologist did the color doppler right there.

Maybe something similar happened, and people weren't able to reschedule appointment times easily between show times?

 

[cedarvalleynewfoundlands]

New research into SAS shows that it can also exist in a carrier state, which is really scary. Research also tends to point toward an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, which means it only takes one parent with a "bad" gene and the puppy can have SAS, even if the other parent does not carry the gene. We had a bitch a while back who produced SAS pups with 2 different Sires. She herself was cleared by Cardiologist as an adult. When she produced the 2nd pup in the 2nd litter, we had an Echo Doppler done on her, which still showed up nothing. She was placed into a pet home with the stipulation that when she died, an autopsy would be performed. She recently died unexpectedly (not related to a heart issue either) and her autopsy was done. Nothing turned up on the gross autopsy, but our Cardiologist had tissue samples sent to UC Davis (I believe it was UC Davis...may be wrong on the Univ) for more indepth study and they found evidence of SAS histologically. I found this fascinating, since all along we thought she probably had SAS either subclinically or in a carrier state, and in fact would not have found it unless our Cardiologist had been specifically looking for it.

 

[Ginny]

New research into SAS shows that it can also exist in a carrier state, which is really scary. Research also tends to point toward an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, which means it only takes one parent with a "bad" gene and the puppy can have SAS, even if the other parent does not carry the gene.

Please cite this research.