Congenital abnormalities of the heart and large vessels of dogs

Congenital alterations of the heart and large vessels (CAHLV) are defined as morphological defects associated with birth and are the most frequent congenital anomalies of domestic animals. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of CAHLV in dogs in Rio Grande do Sul, with emphasis in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, from January 2000 to December 2016. Of the 7,903 necropsied dogs, 27 died spontaneously or were submitted to euthanasia due to CAHLV, representing 0.3% of the cases. In 11.1% of the dogs, there were two congenital disorders in the heart or in the great vessels, totaling 30 changes. The age of affected dogs ranged from one day to 12 years, with the median age of four months. In 81.5% it affected dogs with breed, and 18.5%, without breed defined. In 51.8% were males, and 48.2%, females. Subaortic stenosis was the most frequent alteration, followed by atrial septal defect, persistent right aortic arch, patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonic stenosis, ventricular septal defect, and endocardial fibroelastosis. Of the multiple cases, the combinations found were: patent ductus arteriosus associated with atrial septal defect, subaortic stenosis with ventricular septal defect, and atrial and ventricular septal defect.