Melahat TOKER*

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yuksek Ihtisas University, Ankara, Turkey

*Corresponding Author: Melahat TOKER, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yuksek Ihtisas University, Ankara, Turkey.

Received: August 19, 2025; Published: August 27, 2025

Abstract

The New Zealand White rabbit laboratory animal has an important place in cardiological studies as well as in many scientific studies. In this respect, echocardiographic methods are the gold standard in the diagnosis of cardiac diseases in veterinary medicine. Cardiac diseases such as congestive heart failure, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, tricuspid, mitral valve disease and diastolic dysfunction are observed in rabbits. Therefore, periodic echocardiographic studies are required in healthy rabbits. All rabbits were examined by color Doppler echocardiographic method using a 5-7.5 mHz transducer. In the studies, images were obtained from the 2nd to 4th intercostal space, parasternal long axis, parasternal short axis, apical four-chamber and modified four-chamber windows using two-dimensional (2D) mode, M-mode and color Doppler echocardiography methods. In the examination, the anatomy and functions of the rabbit heart were examined one by one. When the values obtained in this study were compared with the studies conducted on cats and dogs in routine veterinary medicine, it was observed that rabbits also had cardiac problems. In addition, it was determined that the changes in right ventricular parameters were compatible with the changes in left ventricular occupancy parameters. Our aim in this study is to bring rabbits into our lives not only as laboratory animals but also as healthy pets.

Keywords: Diagnostic Techniques; Echocardiography; Heart, Rabbit

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Citation

Citation: Melahat TOKER. “Evaluation of Heart Diseases in Rabbits with Echocardiography Cardiac Diseases".Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 7.9 (2025): 30-37.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Melahat TOKER. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.