Vertebral heart score calculator
Enter the long and short axis in vertebrae, choose the breed, and copy the summary.
For educational purposes only. This is not veterinary advice and does not replace clinical judgment. Check every result against the source guideline.
Breed intervals come from right lateral radiographs.
Measured from the base to the apex, then counted along the spine from the cranial edge of T4.
Maximum width perpendicular to the long axis, counted from the cranial edge of T4.
Carina to where the left atrium meets the caudal vena cava, counted from the cranial edge of T4.
Enter the long and short axis to see the score.
The calculator runs in your browser, and the numbers you enter are never sent anywhere. A score outside a reference interval is a finding to interpret, not a diagnosis.
Breed reference intervals
95 percent reference intervals from right lateral radiographs of clinically healthy dogs. The all-breeds figure is the range Buchanan and Bücheler saw in 100 normal dogs, with VLAS from Vezzosi and colleagues. Jack Russell Terriers, Miniature Pinschers and Brussels Griffons are left out because their paper prints different intervals in the abstract and the tables, and the Borzoi VLAS is left out for the same reason.
| Breed | VHS | VLAS | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghan Hound | 9.0 to 11.5 | 1.8 to 2.5 | Boo et al 2026, AJVR 87(4) |
| American Eskimo | 9.5 to 11.5 | 1.7 to 2.4 | Wang et al 2025, AJVR 86(8) |
| Australian Cattle Dog | 9.1 to 11.2 | 1.7 to 2.4 | Rowland et al 2026, AJVR 87(10) |
| Basenji | 9.0 to 11.6 | 1.7 to 2.5 | Boo et al 2026, AJVR 87(4) |
| Border Terrier | 9.3 to 11.6 | 1.7 to 2.3 | Wang et al 2025, AJVR 86(8) |
| Borzoi | 8.8 to 10.9 | Not given | Boo et al 2026, AJVR 87(4) |
| Boston Terrier | 9.7 to 13.0 | 1.6 to 2.7 | Murphy et al 2025, AJVR 86(3) |
| Brittany Spaniel | 9.4 to 11.5 | 1.9 to 2.6 | Rowland et al 2026, AJVR 87(10) |
| Cairn Terrier | 9.3 to 11.2 | 1.6 to 2.4 | Murphy et al 2025, AJVR 86(7) |
| Dachshund | 8.8 to 10.7 | 1.6 to 2.2 | Rowland et al 2026, AJVR 87(10) |
| English Springer Spaniel | 9.1 to 11.5 | 1.7 to 2.4 | Murphy et al 2025, AJVR 86(7) |
| French Bulldog | 9.9 to 13.0 | 1.7 to 2.6 | Rowland et al 2026, AJVR 87(10) |
| Greyhound | 9.4 to 11.5 | 1.9 to 2.6 | Rowland et al 2026, AJVR 87(10) |
| Italian Greyhound | 9.1 to 11.5 | 1.6 to 2.3 | Murphy et al 2025, AJVR 86(7) |
| Maltese | 8.7 to 10.7 | 1.7 to 2.5 | Rowland et al 2026, AJVR 87(10) |
| Miniature Australian Shepherd | 9.4 to 11.5 | 1.7 to 2.5 | Wang et al 2025, AJVR 86(8) |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 9.7 to 12.1 | 1.7 to 2.4 | Murphy et al 2024, AJVR 85(5) |
| Norwich Terrier | 9.6 to 11.7 | 1.7 to 2.3 | Rowland et al 2026, AJVR 87(10) |
| Pomeranian | 9.5 to 12.0 | 1.7 to 2.6 | Murphy et al 2025, AJVR 86(3) |
| Pug | 9.7 to 12.0 | 1.7 to 2.7 | Murphy et al 2025, AJVR 86(3) |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 9.3 to 11.5 | 1.8 to 2.4 | Boo et al 2026, AJVR 87(4) |
| Saluki | 9.4 to 11.8 | 1.6 to 2.6 | Boo et al 2026, AJVR 87(4) |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 9.2 to 11.5 | 1.7 to 2.4 | Murphy et al 2025, AJVR 86(7) |
| Shih Tzu | 8.4 to 10.5 | 1.6 to 2.4 | Rowland et al 2026, AJVR 87(10) |
| Tibetan Terrier | 9.2 to 11.4 | 1.7 to 2.3 | Wang et al 2025, AJVR 86(8) |
| Yorkshire Terrier | 9.0 to 11.4 | 1.7 to 2.4 | Murphy et al 2025, AJVR 86(3) |
Sources
Each figure on this page comes from the paper named beside it. Smaller and older breed studies report a mean rather than an interval, so they are not used for a reading here.
- Buchanan and Bücheler 1995: vertebral scale system in dogs (JAVMA)
- Litster and Buchanan 2000: vertebral scale system in cats (JAVMA)
- Keene et al 2019: ACVIM consensus on mitral valve disease (JVIM)
- Malcolm et al 2018: vertebral left atrial size (JAVMA)
- Vezzosi et al 2020: VLAS reference interval in healthy dogs (VRU)
Common questions
- How do you measure the vertebral heart score?
- On a lateral radiograph, measure the long axis from the ventral border of the left mainstem bronchus to the cardiac apex, and the short axis as the widest part of the heart at right angles to it. Lay each length along the spine from the cranial edge of T4 and count the vertebrae it covers, to the nearest 0.1. The score is the two counts added together.
- Why not divide the axes by the length of T4?
- The published method counts consecutive vertebrae from T4, and vertebral bodies change length along the spine. Dividing by one vertebra gives a different number from the one the reference intervals were built on.
- What is a normal vertebral heart score in dogs?
- Buchanan and Bücheler found 9.7 plus or minus 0.5 vertebrae in 100 normal dogs, ranging from 8.5 to 10.6. Many breeds sit higher or lower, so a breed interval is a better comparison where one exists. Pugs, Boston Terriers and French Bulldogs reach 12 to 13 vertebrae while healthy.
- What is a normal vertebral heart score in cats?
- Litster and Buchanan found 7.5 plus or minus 0.3 vertebrae on lateral views and suggested 8.0 as a practical upper limit. Ventrodorsal and dorsoventral views read higher, around 8.1 to 8.2. They suggested an upper limit for the short axis of 3.5 vertebrae on lateral views and 4 on ventrodorsal or dorsoventral views.
- How does VHS relate to ACVIM stage B2?
- The 2019 ACVIM consensus lists VHS above 10.5, adjusted for breed, among the criteria for stage B2 mitral valve disease, read with echocardiography. Where echocardiography is not available it suggests VHS of 11.5 or more, or VLAS of 3 or more. None of these stages a dog on its own.
- What VLAS cutoff suggests left atrial enlargement?
- In Malcolm and colleagues' study of 103 dogs, 88 with mitral valve disease and 15 controls, VLAS of 2.3 or more best matched a long-axis LA:Ao of 2.6 or more, 2.5 or more matched a short-axis LA:Ao of 1.6 or more, and 2.4 or more matched both. The cutoff depends on the echocardiographic definition used.
Also useful: the LVIDDN calculator and the feline colon to L5 ratio calculator.
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