ABSTRACT
The dog is a common animal model for several reasons, including its relatively large body size, tractable behavior, and an organ system that is comparable to humans. Surgical models were developed in dogs for cardiopulmonary bypass, coronary artery bypass, aortic aneurysm repair, congenital heart defect correction, and heart valve replacement. While Beagles are the standard research dog, spontaneous diseases that arise in other breeds provide many models for similar, or even identical, diseases in humans. There are many cardiovascular diseases and conditions for which dogs serve as models. Recent interest in human familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has prompted a number of researchers to investigate the genetic basis of canine DCM. It is clear that dogs, similar to humans, have a prolonged presymptomatic phase of the disease extending over years. The gold standard for diagnosing hypoadrenocorticism in dogs is an ACTH stimulation test, which demonstrates an inability of the zona fasciculata and reticularis to produce cortisol response to a maximal stimulus.
