Cardiac registry offers alerts to pets' heart disease

Lakewood, Colo.

- A new online registry gives breeders and pet owners a new tool to determine whether their dogs and cats are free of congenital and adult-onset heart disease.

The registry was launched by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Foundation in partnership with the CARE Foundation and Prelude Dynamics.

The ACVIM Registry of Cardiac Health (ARCH) will offer reliable certification to breeders and pet owners through exams conducted by board-certified veterinary cardiologists.

"This gold standard of cardiac certification has the potential to impact the long-term health of companion animals by allowing breeders to screen for disease and by gathering data about both congenital and adult-onset heart disease in animals, which may lead to improved treatment and care in the future," says Dr. Mark Oyama of the ACVIM.

Proceeds from the registry will support the ACVIM Foundation grant program and will be designated for cardiac health studies, according to the ACVIM.

Click here to visit the registry.