shop


The Furry Critter Network

VSD - Issue Description

Back to Canine Health Issues Menu


thm-img


Issue Name

VSD

Other Names
Ventricular Septal Defect

Issue Description

A ventricular septal defect is a hole (or defect) in the muscular wall of the heart (the septum) that separates the right and left ventricles.

Symptoms

Signs associated with this disorder may develop within months or years, depending on the significance of the defect, and include shortness of breath, exercise intolerance, sudden death due to an abnormal heart rhythm, or, with a reverse shunt, cyanosis (grey instead of pink mucous membranes). Your veterinarian will monitor your dog's progress and recommend treatment as required. This may include medications to support the heart and to reduce congestion in the lungs, a special diet, exercise restriction, and precautionary antibiotic therapy before procedures such as dentistry.

Among puppies with large VSDs, it is probable that many pass away early, before 8 weeks of age or before they are examined by a veterinarian.


Diagnosis

Often, as with most heart defects, the first indication of a problem is when your veterinarian hears a heart murmur on your pup's physical examination. Sometimes there is exercise intolerance or respiratory difficulty, but this is usually in an older dog or a young pup with a large defect where congestive heart failure has already developed.

Some low-grade murmurs are "innocent" and disappear by 6 months of age, but if the murmur is significant, your veterinarian will suggest a diagnostic workup to determine the cause. S/he will listen very carefully to your dog's heart to determine where the murmur is loudest and when it occurs during the cardiac cycle. Other diagnostic aids include chest x-rays and an electrocardiogram (ECG). Echocardiography (an ultrasound) is generally required to determine the location and severity of a ventricular septal defect.

Causes

Before birth, the heart starts out as a single tube which gradually differentiates into 4 chambers during embryological development. Abnormalities can arise at several steps in the process, resulting in defects in the muscular walls that normally separate the heart into the right and left atria, and the right and left ventricles. The result is abnormal blood flow in the heart with varying effects in the dog, depending on the size and location of the defect.

Treatment

Signs associated with heart disease are treated when and if they develop. Treatments include medications to support the heart and to reduce pulmonary congestion, a special diet, exercise restriction, and precautionary antibiotic therapy before procedures such as dentistry.

There are 2 current surgical options available. Where a significant defect has been identified, but before right-to-left shunting has developed, pulmonary artery banding can be done to decrease the blood flow across the defect, thereby reducing the overload on the lungs and the left heart. Another procedure involves actual repair of the defect, but this requires open heart surgery and carries a high risk.


Back to Canine Health Issues Menu

Featured Rescues

"Don't Shop ... Please Adopt"

laptop pro

ASPCA

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world.

Our organization was founded on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a strong local presence, and with programs that extend our anti-cruelty mission across the country, we are recognized as a national animal welfare organization. We are a privately funded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and are proud to boast more than 2 million supporters across the country.

The ASPCA’s mission, as stated by founder Henry Bergh in 1866, is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”


laptop pro

Petfinder

If you can’t find the pet you’re looking for on Petfinder, don’t give up. Some shelters maintain waiting lists for specific breeds, so don’t be afraid to ask! There are also breed-specific rescues for just about every breed, and most of them post their pets on Petfinder. (Petfinder can even e-mail you when a pet that fits your criteria is posted — just click “Save this Search” at the top of your search results page.)


laptop pro

Rescue Me

Jeff Gold, Founder, Rescue Me! Animal Rescue Network

Jeff Gold lives in Watkinsville, Georgia on the same property as Rescue Me's Animal Rehabilitation Center, with 18 rescue animals. Shown with him in the photo to the left are Maggie, Izzie and Cortez. In 2003, after learning there was nobody doing boxer rescue work in Georgia, Gold founded Boxertown, an organization which helped find homes for over 500 boxers during its first two years. Based upon this success, Gold came up with the vision for Rescue Me! ― a network which helps all breeds of dogs, cats and other animals find good homes, anywhere in the world. RescueShelter.com is also a free service of Rescue Me! and provides the world's largest and most up-to-date directory of animal rescue organizations for all breeds of dogs, cats and other animals, including a comprehensive directory of wildlife rehabilitators in over 150 countries.



Top