The Animal Heartbeat

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Cardiology Controversies 1 with Mark Rishniw Nov 03, 2025

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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...

Veterinary Specialism, with Dr Julie Rosser, CEO of the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation Oct 20, 2025

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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.

The Animal Heartbeat: our favourite papers of 2025 Oct 06, 2025

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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.70152

Risk calculator: https://shimon-furusato.shinyapps.io/prediction_model_for_canine_mitralvalverepair/

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325695

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2505927

Cardiology icons 7: Prof John Bonagura on advancing veterinary echocardiography Sep 22, 2025

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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.

Cardiology icons 6: Prof Kate Meurs on the genetics of heart disease Sep 08, 2025

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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.

Cardiology icons 5: Mike Martin on interventional cardiology training and quality improvement Aug 25, 2025

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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.

Cardiology icons 4: Prof Robert Hamlin on key cardiology topics in 50-years as a veterinarian Aug 11, 2025

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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 episode features Professor Robert Hamlin, of The Ohio State University, Stanton Youngberg Professor Emeritus in Cardiology, and Principal Scientist at Q-Test Labs. Prof Hamlin qualified as a veterinarian in 1958. As one of the founders of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, he has helped to shape the profession as we know it, particularly the realm of veterinary specialty. He is widely known for his knowledge and clinical application of cardiovascular physiology cross-species, and he continues to work actively in the field, teaching and inspiring the next generation of veterinary clinicians.

Join our hosts, Kieran and Jose, as they discuss Prof Hamlin's perspectives on veterinary cardiology over more than 65 years of experience, a true legend in his field.

Cardiology icons 3: Dr Phil Fox on feline cardiomyopathy Jul 28, 2025

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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 episode features Dr Philip Fox, of The Animal Medical Center NY, Chair of the Caspary Research Institute and Service Lead in Cardiology. Dr Fox is well-known for his groundbreaking work on feline cardiomyopathy, first publishing on HCM as an animal model of human disease thirty years ago. His ongoing work on various cardiomyopathy phenotypes and their pathogenesis continues to shape our understanding of feline heart disease. What are Dr Fox's reflections on his work now, and has he changed the way he thinks about feline cardiopathy in 2025?

Join our hosts, Kieran and Jose, as they discuss feline cardiomyopathy with a legend in the field.

Cardiology icons 2: Prof Chris Orton on mechanisms of mitral valve disease and trans catheter edge-to-edge repair Jul 14, 2025

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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 episode features Professor Chris Orton of Colorado State University. Prof Orton has been a leader in the field of canine heart surgery for over thirty years, having worked to develop both open heart surgery techniques on cardiopulmonary bypass and minimally invasive techniques to treat valve disease. Chris is known as a cardiologist and a surgeon, but also has a strong bench-top research background, evaluating the mitral valve and the mechanisms of degenerative disease.

Join our hosts, Jose and Kieran, as they discuss Prof Orton's research experience and his experience over the last 3-years of trans-catheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair, patient considerations and outcomes.

Cardiology icons 1: Prof. Sydney Möise on cardiac arrhythmias Jun 30, 2025

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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 episode features Professor Sydney Möise, of Cornell University, CV Starr Professor Emerita of Cardiology. Prof Möise's research and education output on cardiac arrhythmias has shaped how many of us think about electrical problems of the heart, and she has become known as a pioneer of ambulatory ECG assessment of heart rate variability. Her recent collaborations with Wyatt Flanders, her son, has given the veterinary cardiology world free access to dynamic and 3D Poincaré plots in dogs, broadening our understanding of conduction system disease in animals.

Join our hosts, Kieran and Jose, as they discuss canine cardiac arrhythmias with a legend in their field.

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