Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Common congenital heart defects in Boxer dogs from 1998-2005 study
By Chetboul, V et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary medicine. A, Physiology, pathology, clinical medicine·2006·National Veterinary School of Alfort, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Congenital heart diseases in the boxer dog: A retrospective study of 105 cases (1998-2005).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 105 Boxer dogs was diagnosed with congenital heart diseases (CHD), with the most common being atrial septal defect (ASD), which affected over half of the dogs. Many of these dogs showed symptoms like heart murmurs, which can indicate heart problems. The study found that while some murmurs were linked to isolated ASD, others were associated with more serious conditions like subaortic stenosis (SAS). The findings suggest that veterinarians should use advanced imaging techniques for accurate diagnosis rather than relying solely on heart murmurs. Early detection and proper diagnosis can help manage these heart conditions effectively.
People also search for: Boxer dog heart murmur · congenital heart disease in dogs · Boxer dog heart problems treatment
Abstract
Subaortic stenosis (SAS) is one of the most common congenital heart diseases (CHD) in dogs with Boxers being predominantly affected. However, the increasing availability of modern diagnostic imaging systems now allows a better assessment of cardiac morphology and function, thereby facilitating early detection of CHD in awake animals. In this context, the case records of Boxer dogs diagnosed with CHD using echocardiography combined with Doppler mode, were retrospectively reviewed (1998-2005). One hundred and five Boxers exhibiting either a single CHD (53/105, 50.5%) or association of several CHD (52/105, 49.5%) were included. The most common CHD was atrial septal defect (ASD) observed in 56.2% of these animals (59/105), followed by mitral dysplasia (58/105, 55.2%), and SAS (49/105, 46.7%). SAS was associated with one or two CHD in 29.5% of cases (31/105). Most of the dogs with a low intensity left heart base systolic murmur had an isolated ASD whereas most of the dogs with a similar but high intensity murmur had SAS, either isolated or associated with a concurrent CHD. The incidence of ASD and mitral dysplasia in Boxer dogs is higher than previously assumed, and ASD is a common cause of left heart base systolic murmur in this breed of dog. This confirms that the detection of such a murmur should not be used as the unique criterion for diagnostic confirmation of SAS.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16922831/