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New Kennel Club webinar to explore canine heart disease
The webinar will specifically focus on DCM.
The free session will investigate acquired heart disease.

The Kennel Club is to host a free webinar exploring acquired heart disease in dogs on Wednesday, 18 June at 7.00pm.

The webinar is the second of a series, hosted in partnership with the Veterinary Cardiovascular Society (VCS), created to help attendees to understand heart problems in dogs.

It will feature cardiologist Emily Dutton, a member of the VCS, who will lead a discussion into acquired heart disease. She will particularly focus on dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a common acquired heart disease among large and giant-breed dogs.

A degenerative disease, DCM causes swelling within the ventricles, reducing the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body. Among the clinical signs are collapse and abdominal pain.

It builds upon ideas explored in the series’ introductory webinar, hosted by Hannah Stephenson, which set out the key aspects of heart disease.

In Dr Dutton’s webinar, participants will learn more about the possible causes of DCM, including both genetic and environmental risk factors. They will also learn about clinical signs, methods of diagnosis, treatment options and opportunities for future research.

The webinar will consist of a one-hour presentation followed by a 30-minute question and answer session.

Emily Dutton said: “This session is a valuable opportunity for owners and breeders to deepen their understanding of heart disease in dogs. I look forward to sharing the latest research, answering questions, and supporting the dog-owning community in keeping their dogs’ hearts as healthy as possible.”

The Kennel Club’s heart disease sessions are the latest in a series of health-focused webinars from the organisation. Previous webinar series have explored canine health conditions, including bloat, epilepsy and osteosarcoma.

The webinars are designed to raise awareness of various canine health concerns, such as bloat, epilepsy, colour dilution alopecia and osteosarcoma. They also seek to explore future research, improve diagnoses and support dog owners.

The previous webinars can be viewed on The Kennel Club’s YouTube channel.

Image © Shutterstock

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

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