Between 1983 and 1988, 109 cases of canine lower respiratory tract disease were examined and categorised according to clinical, radiographic and bronchoscopic findings and cytology of bronchial mucus. Non‐specific chronic tracheobronchitis was diagnosed in 19 cases, bronchopneumonia (subacute or chronic) in 12 cases, bronchiectasis in 10 cases, parasitic bronchitis due to Oslerus osleri in 20 cases, eosinophilic bronchitis with or without bronchiectasis or alveolar infiltration in 25 cases, bronchial foreign bodies, mainly cereal ears, in 14 cases, primary neoplasia (adenocarcinomas) in six cases and miscellaneous disease in three cases. Features of these conditions are discussed. Although the aetiology of chronic bronchial disease may not always be ascertained, it is important to assign a dog to a diagnostic category so that the owner can be given a more accurate prognosis.

Records of previous electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic examinations of 39 Irish wolfhounds with cardiac failure, obtained during a 10-year survey, were examined to establish whether previously detected abnormalities might be prognostic indicators for the development of congestive heart failure (CHF) due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in later life. Eighteen dogs (46 per cent) had had atrial fibrillation (AF) at their first examination. Other ECG abnormalities detected at previous examinations were ventricular and supraventricular premature contractions, first and second degree atrioventricular block, P mitrale and left anterior fascicular and right bundle branch blocks. All 39 dogs had developed AF by the time of onset of CHF. The mean age at which CHF was diagnosed was 77 months in males and 86 months in females. The mean age at which AF was first detected was 45 months in males and 59 months in females, and the mean time from the first detection of AF to CHF was 27 months in males and 24 months in females. Previous echocardiographic examinations in eight dogs, over a period of up to five years, revealed progressive left atrial and left ventricular dilatation. Fractional shortening was reduced to below the normal range at the onset of CHF compared with previous examinations in three cases but increased in five. It appears, therefore, that certain ECG abnormalities, especially AF, and/or progressive ventricular and atrial dilatation, may be indicators of 'occult' DCM in wolfhounds.

Cardiac disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in dogs and humans, with dilated cardiomyopathy being a large contributor to this. The Irish Wolfhound (IWH) is one of the most commonly affected breeds and one of the few breeds with genetic loci associated with the disease. Mutations in more than 50 genes are associated with human dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), yet very few are also associated with canine DCM. Furthermore, none of the identified canine loci explain many cases of the disease and previous work has indicated that genotypes at multiple loci may act together to influence disease development. In this study, loci previously associated with DCM in IWH were tested for associations in a new cohort both individually and in combination. We have identified loci significantly associated with the disease individually, but no genotypes individually or in pairs conferred a significantly greater risk of developing DCM than the population risk. However combining three loci together did result in the identification of a genotype which conferred a greater risk of disease than the overall population risk. This study suggests multiple rather than individual genetic factors, cooperating to influence DCM risk in IWH.

Fourteen cases of intrapericardial neoplasia seen over a three year period are reviewed. The clinical details and the electrocardiographic, radiographic and laboratory findings are summarised. The usefulness of two‐dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of intrapericardial mass lesions is emphasised. The prognosis was generally very poor, even in cases in which surgery was performed.

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