ABSTRACT
The cardiovascular (CV) examination can be divided arbitrarily into the medical history provided by the caretaker, physical diagnosis focused on CV issues, and diagnostic studies that include imaging, electrocardiography, and clinical laboratory tests. The medical history can reveal evidence of a previously unsuspected heart or vascular abnormality, as well as inform the management of animals with defined CV disease. Experienced clinicians leverage their knowledge of epidemiology within the first minutes of history-taking and physical examination. Cardiac disease does not invariably lead to clinical “heart failure.”The animal's owner or caretaker generally is unaware of these findings until they are discovered during CV examination. Concurrent tricuspid regurgitation or atrial fibrillation exacerbates right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. A general physical examination should be done in conjunction with the CV examination. Vital signs can initially be noted by a technician, if available, and reassessed during the evaluation.
