The Animal Heartbeat

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.

What skills do you need to be a feline cardiologist? Does a feline focused cardiologist have a particular personality type? Join our hosts, Jose and Kieran, LIVE from the World Feline Congress 2026, to discuss how we can think like a cat cardiologist and use this to benefit our patients and maximise the potential of diagnostic tests.

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Ventricular arrhythmias pose a challenge for all clinicians that face cardiac cases. Although many people are familiar with lidocaine as a first-line drug, there is more complexity in decision making for most dogs beyond the first hour after presentation. Dr Manuela Perego, a European Diplomate in Small Animal Cardiology who is based at the Clinic Veterinaria Malpensa in Milan, Italy, joins us in this episode to guide us through her approach to ventricular arrhythmias in dogs, and update us on her latest research into this fascinating topic. A MUST listen for all cardiology interested clinicians!

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In the 2020s, 3-dimensional echocardiography has become increasingly important for accurate planning of interventional and hybrid surgical procedures, but does this technique have applicability to centres without a surgical bias? Professor Giulio Menciotti has a passion for veterinary echocardiography, and exceptional experience with 3D echo in the clinical and research settings at Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. In this episode, Dr Menciotti shares his experience of learning and refining 3D echo techniques with listeners of The Animal Heartbeat, and considers what the future might hold for expanding the use of these techniques in clinical practice.

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Arterial thromboembolism in cats is one of the most challenging presentations that we encounter in veterinary cardiology - sudden onset, extremely painful, and associated with a high mortality rate related to the complications of ischaemic neuromyopathy. Trying to better understand the optimal prevention and treatment of ATE in cats has led to uncovering a wealth of data on platelet function in veterinary species. At the forefront of this research, is the Li Comparative Platelet and Neutrophil Physiology Laboratory, based at North Carolina State University. Led by Professor Ronald Li, also an ACVECC Diplomate in Emergency and Critical Care, their research has expanded our knowledge about facing these tough cases in the clinic. In this fascinating episode, Dr Li joins our hosts, Jose and Kieran, to discuss the current thoughts on treatment and prevention of ATE in cats, and what the future might hold.

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Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE, or TEE if you're of the American English persuasion!) is an increasingly accessible imaging modality for cardiologists in clinical practice. Over the past decade, using TOE as a routine part of patent ductus arteriosus occlusion procedures has become more common in large centres, but great advances in our appreciation of interventional decision making have come from the experiences of Prof Brianna Potter and the team at Colorado State University. Since 2021, they have been using TOE as an essential component of the mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair procedure. Join our hosts, Jose and Kieran, as they discuss the use of TOE in clinical practice with Prof Potter, and how interventional imaging has become a vital role for the cardiologist in 2026.

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Are you confident in making a diagnosis of feline HCM? We used to think so too... listen to Prof Ryan Fries, from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, discuss his particular interest and research activity in advanced imaging in feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Covering echo technologies such as tissue Doppler imaging and strain-based techniques, to contrast enhanced echo and cardiac MRI, Prof Fries and our hosts Jose Novo Matos and Kieran Borgeat delve deep into what the future might hold for better understanding the diagnosis and outcomes in cats with left ventricular hypertrophy.

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Mitral regurgitation is one of the most common pathologies in veterinary cardiology, yet most cardiologists do not feel confident in making a direct assessment of MR severity. Does chamber size hold the key, or do we have to perform complex Doppler-derived measurements to achieve a meaningful assessment of back-flow?

Professor Tommaso Vezzosi, of The University of Pisa, joins our hosts Kieran and Jose to discuss a practical approach to the assessment of mitral regurgitation severity in dogs.

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We estimate that 1 in 7 cats have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, compared to 1 in 500 humans. In a number of ways, both species share similar characteristics of disease, and vets often look to the world of human medicine for better understanding. However, some factors about feline HCM appear to be fundamentally different to humans. Join our hosts, Jose and Kieran, as they chair a fascinating panel discussion of world-recognised experts in veterinary and human HCM - with a live audience from The Cambridge Festival 2026.

We were incredibly fortunate to be joined by outstanding leaders in both human and feline cardiology and pathology:
- Professor Mary Sheppard – Head of Cardiovascular Pathology, City St George’s University of London; President, Pathology Section, Royal Society of Medicine

- Professor Juan Pablo Kaski – Professor of Paediatric Inherited Cardiovascular Medicine, UCL; Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, Great Ormond Street Hospital; Director, Centre for Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases

- Professor David Connolly – Professor of Veterinary Cardiology, Royal Veterinary College

This discussion brings together human and veterinary experts to discuss HCM across species, exploring similarities and differences in diagnosis, and management -  a truly translational perspective.

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Cardiology is one of the more accessible disciplines for primary care vets, but still poses a number of important challenges for the clinician. Join Jose and Kieran as they host an amazing panel of guests: Rory Cowlam, Cat Henstridge, James Greenwood, and Louisa Graham - experienced GP vets with different levels of enthusiasm for cardiology! Our excellent panel share their perspectives on the utility of NT-proBNP in cats with a heart murmur, how vets can use staging systems for heart disease, and a number of other primary-care focused topics - live from the London Vet Show in 2025.

Held each November at the London ExCel, the London Vet Show is the biggest event in the calendar of the UK vet profession. This year, LVS debuted their new showcase for talent, The Studio.