The sinus node is the major pacemaker of the heart. In dogs, disease of the sinus node can result in slow heart rates that requires pacemaker implantation. The goal of this study is to characterize the electrical properties of the sinus node in dogs with slow heart rates that require pacemakers.

Eligibility: Any dog seen at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals with a diagnosis of a slow heart rate that requires pacemaker implantation.

Compensation: You will receive a 10% hospital discount and $2000 on your bill toward the pacemaker implantation. There are no additional costs to participate.

Owner Responsibilities: If the pacemaker implantation is not an emergency surgery, we will place a 24-hour ECG (Holter monitor) for your dog to wear at home in the weeks before the scheduled surgery. Once your dog is admitted for surgery, an atropine response test will be performed before the surgery. (This involves giving a medication that normally increases the heart rate temporarily.) During anesthesia we will perform an electrophysiologic study of the sinus node, which will involve placing catheters in the heart that can be used to pace the heart rhythm and record the electrical potentials of the heart. Following this, your dog will have the permanent pacemaker placed and the rest of the visit will be conducted as it would be without enrollment in the study.

Principal Investigator: Shana Mintz, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)

Contact/Schedule an Appointment: Please contact the cardiology service or the clinical trials coordinator at 607.253.3060, or email vet-research@cornell.edu. Your referring veterinarian may also contact the hospital to refer your pet.