Dogs have been extensively used in heart research, but their coronary arteries differ from those of humans - they have smaller connections with one another and the left coronary artery dominates, while in humans the right does so.  In addition, the conduction system has a different pattern of blood supply, and consequently, researchers have had difficulty in producing ischemic heart blocks in dogs, which occurs frequently in humans.  The blood coagulation mechanism is unlike ours, therefore using dogs to test prosthetic devices and valves is unreliable.  A dog's reaction to shock is also very different to that of humans.

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