Echocardiographic findings in a goat with cor pulmonale secondary to chronic parasitic pneumonia

A four-year old goat was presented for anorexia and apathy since kidding one week earlier. Physical examination revealed dyspnea, extensive ascites and bilateral distended jugular veins, suggestive of congestive right heart failure. The echocardiographic findings of severe right ventricular and atrial dilatation were consistent with right heart failure. In the absence of abnormalities in the right ventricular outflow tract a diagnosis of cor pulmonale secondary to lung disease was posed. Due to a poor prognosis, the goat was euthanized. Necropsy confirmed cor pulmonale and identified severe chronic parasitic pneumonia as underlying cause. Echocardiography is an interesting tool also applicable in the farm for diagnosing heart diseases in goats, and its use should help to avoid unnecessary therapy in cases with a poor prognosis.