UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction is an important cardiovascular complication of systemic infection and may influence clinical outcomes in dogs. This study evaluated myocardial functional changes in dogs with canine parvovirus infection through clinical assessment, echocardiography and serum canine cardiac troponin I measurement. Twenty-four canine parvovirus-positive dogs older than six months and six clinically healthy control dogs were enrolled. Six affected dogs died before completion of the observation period; therefore, serial comparisons were performed in 18 surviving septic dogs and six healthy controls. Clinical variables, M-mode echocardiographic indices, ejection fraction, fractional shortening and serum canine cardiac troponin I concentrations were assessed on days 1, 3 and 5. On day 1, septic dogs had higher heart and respiratory rates and lower systolic blood pressure than healthy dogs. Echocardiography showed reduced ejection fraction and fractional shortening in septic dogs, with relatively increased left ventricular internal dimensions during diastole and systole. Non-surviving dogs had descriptively lower ejection fraction and fractional shortening values. In surviving septic dogs, ejection fraction increased from 43.06 ± 3.63% on day 1 to 59.89 ± 3.34% on day 5, while fractional shortening increased from 21.83 ± 1.82% to 31.00 ± 2.52%. Serum canine cardiac troponin I concentrations were higher in septic dogs than in healthy controls; however, the differences were not statistically significant. Overall, the findings indicate transient cardiovascular and myocardial functional alterations in dogs with canine parvovirus-associated sepsis, with improvement in clinical and echocardiographic parameters during treatment. Echocardiographic monitoring, interpreted alongside clinical findings and biomarker assessment, may support evaluation of myocardial function in septic dogs. Further studies with larger sample sizes and advanced cardiac assessment are required to clarify the prognostic value of these changes.