Molly is a five month old Pug x Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppy. Molly’s owners brought her to the vets for her first puppy vaccinations when she was eight weeks old. All pets that come to the practice for first vaccinations and boosters also receive a full health examination. When Babs examined Molly she detected a heart murmur.
Babs, who is a qualified Cardiologist, recommended that it would be advisable to investigate the heart murmur further by doing an ultrasound scan of the heart. The scan revealed that Molly has a condition known as ‘patent ductus arteriosus’ (PDA). Without treatment a PDA is a fatal condition & Molly was at a high risk of heart failure and death by the time she was one year old. Molly’s owners opted for life saving surgery.
Molly has surgery when she was only four months old and weighed just 2.6kg. The operation to correct a PDA is very high risk surgery. Molly’s chest had to be opened and the PDA (which is just above the heart) was tied off with silk to stop the blood flowing through it.
Molly made a quick recovery from the surgery. She is now a happy, lively puppy and should go on to lead a normal life.
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| The ultrasound scan. Blue = normal blood flow. Red & Green = blood flowing back through PDA | The vet operating on Molly | The PDA is tied off with silk |
What is a heart Murmur?
- An abnormal heart sound that is produced due to turbulent blood flow.
- It is often caused by narrowing or weakening of the heart valves.
- May be congenital (present from birth) or acquired (due to diseases or age changes).
- Some murmurs are benign and do not cause a problem where as other can be serious and progressive, resulting in heart failure.
- Some puppies are born with a murmur which settles after a few months.
What is Patent Ductus Arteriosus?
- The ductus arteriosus is a large blood vessel present in all animals when they are in the womb.
- The vessel bypass the animal’s lungs and it should close at birth once the animal takes it first breaths.
- A PDA means that blood is able to travel from the aorta (the main blood vessel leaving the heart) to the lungs.
- A congenital heart condition, reported to occur in about 2 per 1000 dogs.
