Vertebral Heart Scale for the Brittany Spaniel: Breed-Specific Range and Its Correlation with Heart Disease Assessed by Clinical and Echocardiographic Findings.

The vertebral heart scale (VHS) was proposed by Buchanan and Bucheler as an objective method for estimating heart size in dogs. However, several studies have reported significant variation between breeds. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the VHS and to suggest a useful upper limit for normal heart size in Brittany Spaniels.