Who has developed the Exam?

The exam has been developed by WAVE.  Those mainly involved are Dave Dickson and Hannah Stephenson with help from CSAG members.

When and Where are the Exams held

The first accreditation exam was held on the 9th and 10th June 2025 at the Kennel Club building in Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth.  The next exam will be held at the same venue on Thursday 9th July and possibly Friday 10th July 2026.

Standardisation of screening for heart disease in Dogs : Examination 2026

Aim

The veterinary Cardiovascular Society in the UK maintains a list of members who have been approved to screen dogs (and cats) for cardiac disease prior to breeding. Previously, members on this list were either automatically approved if they have undertaken a residency in Cardiology in the UK, or were assessed by members by submission of sets of echocardiography images. We have updated this process in an attempt to ensure that all screening of dogs for cardiac disease prior to breeding, in the UK, is undertaken to the same standard. All new applicants are now asked to sit the examination and we expected that all cardiologists currently screening dogs in the UK will also sit the examination in future.

Format

Candidates will be expected to perform echocardiography on 2 dogs during the course of the examination and provide two measured sets of images from patients seen in their own clinics. At least one small breed dog and one giant breed dog will be examined in the practical session.

The examination will consist of 4 stations of 45 minutes duration, with 5 minutes between each station to allow for changeover of dogs and staff. The total length of the examination will therefore be 3.25 hours.[DD1] 

 Three of these stations will be echo stations, where the candidate will perform echocardiography to obtain a specified list of echocardiography views (see separate guidance). Candidates will be examined and marked in real time by the examiner. There will be a different examiner at each echocardiography station so that each candidate is assessed by three different examiners. Candidates will be expected to obtain but NOT measure images from the patient, during the 45 minute time limit.

 We will ask candidates to bring with them (in electronic format) two sets of measured images from two patients, one large breed and one small breed. Candidates will be provided with a comprehensive list of views required as well as an examples of a measured echo study. Details on which views and correct measurement technique will be provided in separate documentation.

 There will be two rounds of examinations in one day, with up to 4 candidates in the morning and 4 candidates in the afternoon.

 Echocardiography machines

The examiners will provide echo machines for the candidates to use, if they wish. These machines will be GE Vivid IQ machines. Please inform the CSAG committee if you wish to bring your own machine to the examination. If you are unable to provide your own machine, but would prefer to use a machine from a different manufacturer, please inform the CSAG committee as soon as possible and we will do our best to accommodate for this.

Please note that it is expected that any machines provided by the candidates will be of sufficient quality to provide diagnostic images for assessment. Any machines provided by the candidates will need to remain available for the full day of the examination, should images need to be reviewed.

All other equipment (clippers, gel, ECG pads, echo tables etc) will be provided.

 Assessment and Pass Marks

All candidates will be assessed against the criteria provided prior to the examination. As each candidate is assessed by 3 different examiners, a majority ruling will apply. Candidates will receive a pass/fail assessment. For candidates who do not pass this section of the examination, feedback will be provided.

For the measurement section of the examination, candidates must show that they can acquire and measure images adequately to the examiners.