Texas A&M AI RadAnalyzer Tracks Canine Heart Disease

Researchers at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have found that an AI tool can measure canine heart size on chest x-rays about as accurately as trained veterinarians. Published in PLOS One and reported on 19 August 2026, the RadAnalyzer web- and smartphone-based application automatically calculates two standard measurements used to track heart enlargement in dogs, offering primary care veterinarians a scalable diagnostic support tool.

RadAnalyzer, developed initially as a student prototype through Texas A&M’s Aggies Invent program, calculates two measurements clinicians use to track canine heart enlargement: vertebral heart size and vertebral left atrial size. Chest radiographs are commonly used to monitor heart disease because they are more affordable and more widely available than echocardiography, though manual measurement varies meaningfully between clinicians. The Texas A&M team, led by principal investigator Sonya Gordon, DVSc, DACVIM (Cardiology), compared RadAnalyzer measurements against a highly trained observer across more than 1,000 canine radiographs and found close agreement.

The measurements are particularly relevant for monitoring myxomatous mitral valve disease, a common condition in older, small-breed dogs. Determining when heart enlargement warrants pimobendan treatment can extend symptom-free survival by an average of 60%, or more than a year for most dogs, when started at the appropriate time. Gordon highlighted that AI tools produce essentially zero measurement variability, which matters most when clinicians are tracking small changes over months or years. RadAnalyzer is not yet a commercial product, and Gordon called for rigorous validation studies as more AI applications enter veterinary medicine.

The commercial signal is an increasingly maturing veterinary AI diagnostics category where automated radiographic measurement complements primary care workflow. Direct pimobendan (Boehringer Ingelheim’s Vetmedin) treatment decisions benefit from consistent AI-driven heart size tracking. Expect IDEXX, Zoetis (Vetscan Imagyst), SignalPET, Vetology and Mars Petcare’s Antech to sharpen their veterinary imaging AI positioning through the rest of 2026 and 2027.

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