Dallas-Ft. Worth Labrador Retriever Club...

DFWLRC -Heart Abnormalities in the Labrador Retriever

Cardiac exams are not a required health test for Labradors, however, recommended as follows:

  • Females – congenital or advanced cardiac database exam.
  • Males – for males being used at stud, recommend advanced cardiac including an echo.

Congenital heart disease in dogs is a malformation of the heart or great vessels. The lesions characterizing congenital heart defects are present at birth and may develop more fully during perinatal and growth periods. Many congenital heart defects are thought to be genetically transmitted from parents to offspring; however, the exact modes of inheritance have not been precisely determined for all cardiovascular malformations. The most common congenital cardiovascular defects can be grouped into several anatomic categories. These anatomic diagnoses include:

  • Malformation of the atrioventricular valves
  • Malformation of the ventricular outflow leading to obstruction of blood flow
  • Defects of the cardiac septa (shunts)
  • Abnormal development of the great vessels or other vascular structures
  • Complex, multiple, or other congenital disorders of the heart, pericardium, or blood vessels

Congenital and Inherited Disorders of the Cardiovascular System In Dogs

  • Tricuspid dysplasia (TVD) refers to abnormal development or malformation of the tricuspid valve of the heart, allowing regurgitation of blood back into the right atrium. This defect is seen occasionally in dogs at birth.

  • Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) a congenital heart defect where the ductus arteriosus, a temporary blood vessel that connects the aorta (main artery) to the pulmonary artery (artery to the lungs), remains open after birth

  • Innocent Murmurs It is very important to understand that the presence of a heart murmur in a young puppy does not necessarily indicate a congenital heart defect. Many puppies have a low-grade systolic murmur (heard while the ventricles contract) that is due to mild blood turbulence and is not associated with a congenital heart defect. These murmurs usually disappear by 6 months of age. However, the presence of signs of heart disease, loud systolic murmurs, or diastolic murmurs (heard while the ventricles relax) do indicate cardiac disease and should prompt further investigation by your veterinarian.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES