Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy with fluid belly had abnormal blood flow in big vein from heart
By Szatmári, V et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2000·Department and Clinic of Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Doppler-ultrasonographic detection of retrograde pulsatile flow in the caudal vena cava of a puppy with cor triatriatum dexter.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A three-month-old puppy was brought in with a swollen belly (ascites), but the vet found its heart to be normal when listened to. An ultrasound of the abdomen showed an enlarged liver and swollen veins. Further tests revealed unusual blood flow patterns in the veins. Sadly, after the puppy passed away, a postmortem exam revealed it had a heart defect called cor triatriatum dexter, along with a hole in the wall between the heart's chambers.
People also search for: puppy ascites causes · dog heart defect symptoms · swollen belly in puppy treatment
Abstract
A three-month-old puppy had ascites, but its heart was normal by auscultation. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed an enlarged liver, distended hepatic veins and a distended caudal vena cava. Doppler ultrasonography detected retrograde flow in the caudal vena cava and abnormally pulsatile flow in the hepatic veins and caudal vena cava. A non-selective venogram was used to detect the path of the blood from the caudal vena cava. A postmortem examination showed that the puppy had cor triatriatum dexter and a defect in the atrial septum.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10958487/