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UDC 636.7.09:616.12-008.46:616.61-073.43

Received: May 14, 2026

Revised: May 21, 2026

Published: May 29, 2026

This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license

 

Congestive heart failure in dogs is one of the relevant problems of modern veterinary cardiology, as it is accompanied not only by impaired intracardiac hemodynamics but also by secondary changes in target organs, primarily the kidneys and liver. In clinical practice, the main focus is often placed on cardiac assessment, whereas early hemodynamic disturbances of renal and hepatic perfusion may remain insufficiently detected, especially in the absence of pronounced changes in blood biochemical parameters. This complicates the timely diagnosis of cardiorenal and cardiohepatic disorders and may affect the choice of therapeutic strategy and prognosis.

This study presents the results of a comprehensive assessment of echocardiographic, renal Doppler, and hepatic Doppler ultrasonographic parameters in dogs with congestive heart failure. The study included 40 dogs aged 6 to 12 years, which were divided into two groups: an experimental group of 20 dogs with ACVIM stages C and D heart failure and a control group of 20 clinically healthy animals. In dogs with congestive heart failure, before treatment initiation, a decrease in ejection fraction and fractional shortening, as well as an increase in the LA/Ao ratio, was observed, indicating impaired myocardial systolic function, dilation of the left-sided cardiac chambers, and hemodynamic overload. Renal Doppler ultrasonography revealed increased resistive index and pulsatility index values in both kidneys, indicating increased vascular resistance and impaired renal perfusion associated with heart failure. Assessment of hepatic hemodynamics showed that portal vein blood flow velocity did not differ significantly from the control group, whereas the hepatic vein S/D ratio was significantly lower and the hepatic arterial resistive index was higher in dogs with CHF. These findings indicated impaired hepatic venous outflow and increased vascular resistance within the hepatic arterial circulation. After standard therapy, which included pimobendan, furosemide, and amlodipine, gradual improvement in echocardiographic parameters, a decrease in renal RI and PI values, and an increase in the hepatic vein S/D ratio were observed, especially at week 4 of treatment. The obtained results confirm the feasibility of using renal and hepatic Doppler ultrasonography as additional non-invasive methods for monitoring dogs with congestive heart failure, early detection of cardiorenal and cardiohepatic hemodynamic disorders, and assessment of treatment efficacy.

 

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