2016 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

Single, naturally voided fecal samples from 27 adult dogs (≥1 year of age) and 15 puppies (<1 year of age) were collected from dogs with congenital and acquired cardiac diseases. Two dogs, one puppy and one adult, had serial fecal evaluations (i.e., before and after occlusion of their patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with an Amplatz Ò canine ductal occluder (ACDO) device). Each dog in the study had an echocardiogram performed by a board certified cardiologist or a resident under the supervision of a board certified cardiologist. Fecal samples were frozen upon collection and fa 1 -PI concentration was measured using an in-house radioimmunoassay and was compared with an established reference interval for healthy adult dogs. A fa 1 -PI concentration of ≥21.0 lg/g feces was considered abnormal.