Normal values of pulse wave Doppler echocardiography in healthy Ghezel sheep.

Echocardiography is a noninvasive, highly sensitive method for evaluating heart disease in veterinary medicine, crucial for measuring cardiac structures and functions. Despite its importance, limited data exist on sheep, particularly the Ghezel breed, a significant breed in Iran. This study aimed to establish normal echocardiographic values for Ghezel sheep, providing reference data for both clinical and research applications. We evaluated 15 healthy Ghezel sheep with a mean age of 16.50 ± 1.80 months and a mean weight of 42.69 ± 4.73 kg. Comprehensive clinical exams, biochemical and hematological tests and color Doppler echocardiography were performed. Descriptive results from standard right and left parasternal views in both longitudinal and transverse planes were obtained and compared to existing studies. The study successfully established pulse wave Doppler reference values for the Ghezel breed. These findings could be used in diagnosing heart disease in Ghezel sheep and would be beneficial in future research particularly in sheep used as an animal model for translation in human cardiac studies.