Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with mitral valve disease diagnosed with heart sac hernia
By Misbach, C et al.·Published in Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde·2016·Unité, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Antemortem diagnosis of a left auricular appendage herniation through a partial pericardial defect in a dog with degenerative mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 14-year-old neutered male crossbreed dog was brought in because he was weak, coughing, and losing weight. The vet found a fast heartbeat, irregular heart rhythm, and a significant heart murmur. X-rays showed an unusual mass near the heart, and further tests revealed a serious heart condition where part of the heart was outside its normal protective sac. Unfortunately, despite the diagnosis, the dog's health continued to decline, and he was euthanized thirteen months later due to worsening heart failure symptoms that did not respond to treatment.
People also search for: dog coughing and weakness · heart murmur in dogs · congestive heart failure treatment for dogs
Abstract
A 14-year-old neutered male crossbreed dog was presented for weakness, cough and weight loss. Cardiac auscultation revealed tachycardia, arrhythmia and a grade V/VI left apical systolic heart murmur. Thoracic radiographs showed a large homogeneous soft tissue opacity in close contact with the cardiac silhouette in the left cranioventral mediastinum. Cardiac evaluation showed atrial fibrillation, degenerative mitral valve disease and a dilated left auricular appendage outside the pericardium consistent with herniation through a partial pericardial defect. Seven months after diagnosis, an atrial septal defect secondary to acquired atrial septal rupture was identified. The dog was euthanized thirteen months after initial presentation because of unresponsive clinical signs of congestive heart failure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27518580/