Prof Tommaso Vezzosi: the assessment of mitral regurgitation severity in dogs

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.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.

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.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 CollegeThis discussion brings together human and veterinary experts to discuss HCM across species, exploring similarities and differences in diagnosis, and management -  a truly translational perspective.

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.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.

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.In the finale of The Animal Heartbeat Season 3, Kieran and Jose are once again joined by Dr Mark Rishniw. Double-boarded in Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Mark works as a VIN Consultant and Research Associate of the Simpson Lab at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Through his numerous educational roles, lectures and publications, Dr Rishniw has become known as a critical thinker who is on a mission to bust myths and break down barriers to communication.In part two, join Mark as he shares his perspectives on coughing in heart failure, and the publication process in 2025.

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.In the first part of our very special, two-part Animal Heartbeat Season 3 finale, Kieran and Jose are joined by Dr Mark Rishniw. Double-boarded in Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Mark works as a VIN Consultant and Research Associate of the Simpson Lab at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Through his numerous educational roles, lectures and publications, Dr Rishniw has become known as a critical thinker who is on a mission to bust myths and break down barriers to communication.In part one, join Mark as he dissects the topic of NT-proBNP screening for feline cardiomyopathy, and treatment for pets in stage B2...

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.On Season 3 of The Animal Heartbeat, we have been privileged to be joined by a number of cardiology icons - legends in their field. As we come towards the season close, we are joined by Dr Julie Rosser, CEO of the EBVS and a Board Certified ACVS and ECVS Surgeon with a back ground in large animal work in both the USA and Europe. Julie has a broad perspective on the impact of veterinary specialism, and the challenges and opportunities for specialists in 2025.Join Dr Rosser and our hosts, Jose and Kieran, for a wide-ranging discussion that will contain a number of points for reflection no matter what your level of experience or field of interest in the veterinary world.

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.This week, our hosts Jose and Kieran bring you a discussion of their favourite scientific papers published in 2025. If you are interested in what science influences the cardiology specialists, then listen in for our thoughts on three manuscripts that contain data crucial to veterinary cardiology today.Links to the papers, if you wanted to read along:https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.70152Risk calculator: https://shimon-furusato.shinyapps.io/prediction_model_for_canine_mitralvalverepair/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325695https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2505927

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.Season 3 of The Animal Heartbeat is all about the Veterinary Cardiology Icons - those who walk among us as legends of the veterinary cardiology world.In Episode 7 of the Icons series, Prof John Bonagura joins our hosts, Jose and Kieran, to discuss how we can advance our echocardiographic skills in animals. Echocardiography is a fundamental tool for clinicians and researchers, something we use every day to infirm decision making for our patients. But is one echo the same as the next? Can we do better to improve our accuracy of diagnosis, and is there a role for standardised echo guidelines? John discusses his career spanning experience of echocardiography, from M-mode to speckle tracking techniques and using real-time 4D volumes, and updates us on the progress of the joint ACVIM-ASE guidelines for 2D echo in animals, upcoming in 2026.Listen with us as Dr Bonagura shares his perspectives and takes a deep-dive on echo for the veterinary cardiologist.

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.Season 3 of The Animal Heartbeat is all about the Veterinary Cardiology Icons - those who walk among us as legends of the veterinary cardiology world.In this episode, we welcome Prof Kate Meurs, Randall B. Terry Jr Dean of North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Prof Meurs has worked across the fields of clinical vet cardiology and genetics, and drove the research that led to the discovery of mutations associated with HCM in cats, DCM and ARVC in dogs, and arrhythmia-induced death in particular canine family lines. Her work has changed how we think about heart disease in companion animals, and may hold the key to future refinements in the care we provide for animals with heart disease.Listen to Prof Meurs' reflections on her groundbreaking work, and her thoughts on how we can best use genetic testing to help maximise animal wellbeing in the clinic.

Message our hosts, Kieran and Jose.Season 3 of The Animal Heartbeat is all about the Veterinary Cardiology Icons - those who walk among us as legends of the veterinary cardiology world.This fifth edition of the Icons series features Mike Martin, RCVS Diplomate in Veterinary Cardiology who founded the first private cardiology specialist practice in the UK and pioneered cardiac interventions in Europe. Mike learned from human paediatric cardiologists and refined the skillset of his team to become a world-leader in canine cardiac minimally invasive surgery.Over recent years, Mike has developed a strategy for the training of interventional procedures in the UK and abroad, and has developed a particular interest in clinical audit techniques to improve patient safety.Join our hosts, Jose and Kieran, as they discuss Mike's experience of how best to develop a new interventional centre, and why we should be using a centralised audit process to help improve patient safety in cardiac surgery.