AI Murmur Detection Enters Veterinary Clinics via Boehringer-Eko Partnership

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eko Health have launched an AI-assisted cardiac auscultation tool for dogs, positioning algorithm-driven diagnostics as a standard-of-care consideration in veterinary general practice. The move signals a broader shift toward validated AI decision-support tools in animal health, a segment where early-stage disease detection has historically depended on clinician experience and available equipment.

The combined solution, Eko Vet+ | CANINEBEAT AI, integrates three components: the Eko CORE Digital Attachment, which connects to most single-tube stethoscopes and amplifies heart sounds by 40 times with noise cancellation; the CANINEBEAT AI algorithm; and the Eko Vet+ app, which generates murmur images, sound files, and shareable reports for client communication. The CANINEBEAT AI algorithm was trained and validated on more than 4,000 annotated canine heart sound recordings and detects heart murmurs associated with structural heart disease with more than 95% sensitivity and specificity. Fifty global veterinary cardiology experts contributed to the solution's development. The algorithm is intended to support clinical assessment and does not replace comprehensive cardiac evaluation or professional veterinary judgment.

The clinical context is significant. Heart disease affects approximately 10% of all dogs, with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) representing the most common diagnosis. MMVD is a chronic condition and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in dogs. Because early-stage disease is frequently asymptomatic, murmurs can go undetected during routine examinations. Prof. Gerhard Wess, Head of the Cardiology Service at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munich, noted the tool helps general practitioners detect and grade murmurs "with a high level of consistency."

The solution launched initially in the United States and United Kingdom, with Germany entry planned for next month and phased expansion into additional markets to follow. Veterinary practices evaluating adoption should note the tool's intended scope: augmenting auscultation workflows and supporting owner conversations, not replacing specialist referral pathways.