Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog hit by car develops Gerbode heart defect and fluid buildup
By Hezzell, Melanie J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2011·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Gerbode defect associated with blunt trauma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old Labrador retriever was brought to the vet after being hit by a car and showed signs of heart problems, including an irregular heartbeat, about 12 hours later. An ultrasound of the heart revealed a serious condition called a Gerbode defect, where blood was incorrectly flowing from the left ventricle to the right atrium, along with another defect that caused abnormal blood flow between heart chambers. The dog developed fluid buildup in the chest and abdomen within two days, but after 15 days, the heart's blood flow patterns improved, and no further fluid was found. The dog is now stable and recovering.
People also search for: dog heart problems after car accident · Labrador arrhythmia treatment · Gerbode defect in dogs
Abstract
A 6 year-old Labrador retriever was presented after being struck by a car. A ventricular arrhythmia, attributed to myocardial trauma, developed 12 h post-trauma. Echocardiography revealed lesions consistent with a subaortic paramembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) with shunting of blood from the left ventricle to the right atrium (Gerbode defect). A right-to-left shunting atrial septal defect (ASD) was visualised. Pleural and peritoneal effusions developed within 48 h. Fifteen days post-trauma flow across the ASD was left-to-right while left-to-right shunting across the VSD persisted. No cavitary effusions were detected at 15 days post-trauma or subsequently.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21641897/