AI tool for early detection of heart murmurs in dogs now available

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eko Health, a leader in AI-powered cardiac and pulmonary disease detection, announced that the companies have launched Eko Vet+^TM | CANINEBEAT®AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that will detect, visualize, and grade heart murmurs in dogs, and is aiming to improve health outcome for canine patients with heart disease.

“We’ve seen firsthand in human health how earlier, more accurate detection of cardiac disease can change the trajectory of care,” said Connor Landgraf, CEO and co-founder of Eko Health. “Collaborating with Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in canine cardiology, allows us to bring that same innovative approach to veterinary medicine. Together, we’re equipping veterinarians with AI-powered tools to identify heart murmurs earlier and support better outcomes in canine patients.”

According to the organizational release, the Eko CORE Digital Attachment connects to most single-tube stethoscopes to digitize heart sounds for AI-based analysis, while amplifying cardiac audio by 40 times with advanced noise cancellation and cardiac sound filtering. This then enables veterinarians to detect even the most subtle murmurs.

Additional Eko devices are also compatible with the veterinary digital solution. Powering the platform is the CANINEBEAT® AI algorithm, trained and validated on more than 4,000 annotated canine heart sound recordings, which detects heart murmurs associated with structural heart disease in dogs with greater than 95% sensitivity and specificity.¹

“CANINEBEAT AI inside Eko Vet+TM is an exceptional resource for general practitioner veterinarians, helping them quickly detect and grade murmurs with a high level of consistency,” said Gerhard Wess, Dr. med. Vet. Habil, DECVIM-CA (Cardiology and SAIM), DACVIM (Cardiology), EBVS, head of the cardiology service, Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität in Munich.¹

“I am thrilled to be involved in the development of this new AI-powered solution that will give veterinarians greater confidence in heart murmur detection and support better outcomes for dogs.”

The product is also designed to support comprehensive cardiac evaluation or professional veterinary judgment, not replace it. The algorithm's insights are seamlessly integrated into the EkoVet+ app in the form of murmur images, sound files, and shareable reports, equipping veterinarians with the clinical support needed to effectively discuss potential findings, diagnostics, and treatment options with clients.

As of this week, introduction of this product has started in the US and UK, and will start in Germany next month.The company’s have a phased expansion planned in additional markets later in 2026 and into 2027. Eko Vet+TM with CANINEBEAT AI is available through Boehringer Ingelheim and Eko Health.

“Our proprietary CANINEBEAT® AI algorithm integrated into the Eko Vet+TM app will powerfully support veterinarians’ early detection of heart murmurs in dogs and pet owner conversations,” said Dr Erich Schött, Head of the Pet Business at Boehringer Ingelheim.¹

“Heart murmur detection in dogs can be quite difficult, especially in busy clinics. Because pet owners don’t see clinical signs in the early stage of heart disease, it’s a challenge for veterinarians to explain that the dog suffers from a serious disease. With this unique AI solution, we can help detect murmurs earlier in the disease process, so dogs may receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment sooner,” he continued.

Reference

1. Boehringer Ingelheim and Eko Health Inc. launch new AI-based solution that detects heart murmurs in dogs. News release. Boehringer Ingelheim. April 29, 2026. Accessed April 29, 2026. https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/animal-health/animals-we-support/dogs/ai-tool-detects-heart-murmurs-dogs-early-care