Congenital Heart Disease in Dogs: A Retrospective Study of 95 Cases

The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of congenital heart diseases in dogs attending 2 veterinary hospitals in Brazil and to identify possible associations between these conditions and epidemiological characteristics. A retrospective study was carried out in the cardiology sections of 2 veterinary hospitals during a period of 70 months from January 2012 and October 2017. Of a total of 6710 dogs that attended the cardiology sections of the hospitals, 109 congenital heart diseases were identified in 95 patients, representing a prevalence of 1.6%. Findings consistent with previous literature included subaortic stenosis and pulmonic stenosis as the most commonly diagnosed conditions, in addition to a higher predisposition of females to patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). In contrast, the novel findings included a higher prevalence of atrial septal defect and a lower prevalence of patent ductus arteriosus. The majority of the animals included were over 1 year of age at the time of diagnosis (67%) especially in the subaortic stenosis group. Also, a predisposition of the Maltese to ventricular septal defect was observed. The information obtained in the present study contributes to research that describes epidemiological characteristics of dogs with congenital heart disease in a previously unreported location.