Cardiology

The veterinary specialists of the equine & large animal cardiology service and internal medicine service at the UF Large Animal Hospital treat patients from all over Florida, including the Gainesville, Ocala and Jacksonville areas. UF specializes in horse and large animal heart problems, including poor-performance evaluations and arrhythmia & murmur evaluations. We also offer advanced medical & interventional therapies and pre-purchase evaluations.

Many horse cardiology problems require joint expertise of large animal internists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and cardiologists for accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up care. The University of Florida is privileged to have all of these specialties under one roof, working together on equine cardiac cases. We provide cutting-edge diagnostics and the most progressive treatment options for horses.

Our equine cardiologists work within our equine internal medicine service but also work alongside veterinarians in all other services, including equine lameness & imaging and equine surgery.

Cardiology Services

Pre-purchase evaluations

  • Resting and stress electrocardiograms (electrical recordings of the heart)
  • Resting and stress echocardiograms (ultrasound evaluation of the heart)
  • Treadmill/exercise testing

Advanced medical therapies

  • Medical conversion of atrial fibrillation
  • Management and optimization of refractory heart failure
  • Management of structural, functional, and electrical heart diseases in foals and adult horses

Advanced interventional therapies

  • Permanent pacemaker implantation
  • Transvenous electrical cardioversion for atrial fibrillation
  • Carotid artery catheterization for guttural pouch embolization
  • Cardiac catheterization for congenital or acquired heart disease

Poor-performance evaluations

  • Resting and stress electrocardiograms (electrical recordings of the heart)
  • Resting and stress echocardiograms (ultrasound evaluation of the heart)
  • Treadmill/exercise testing
  • Continuous ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring (telemetry, Holter monitoring, event recording)
  • Cardiac biomarkers

Arrhythmia and murmur evaluations

  • Resting and stress electrocardiograms (electrical recordings of the heart)
  • Resting and stress echocardiograms (ultrasound evaluation of the heart)
  • Treadmill/exercise testing
  • Continuous ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring (telemetry, Holter monitoring, event recording)
  • Cardiac biomarkers

 

Large Animal Cardiology Faculty & Staff

  • Ashley Jones, DVM, Resident
  • Bonnie Heatwole, LVT
  • Melanie Powell, Veterinarian Assistant

 

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The UF Large Animal Hospital veterinarians treat equine and large animal patients in the Gainesville, Ocala and Jacksonville areas, including Alachua and Marion Counties in Florida, and our clients come from all over the United States. Contact us to speak to one of our specialists or to make an appointment.