Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with heart infection and abnormal heart vessel connection
By Smith, A N et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2000·Small Animal Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Left ventricular outflow tract to left atrial fistula associated with endocarditis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A one-year-old mixed-breed dog started having neurological episodes, which were linked to blood clots caused by heart issues. The vet found a heart murmur and diagnosed him with infective endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves, after blood tests showed the presence of Staphylococcus intermedius bacteria. An imaging test revealed an unusual connection between the heart's left ventricle and left atrium. This condition is rare in dogs, and while the specific treatment details weren't mentioned, managing the infection and monitoring the heart's function would be crucial for recovery.
People also search for: dog heart murmur · dog neurological episodes · infective endocarditis treatment in dogs
Abstract
A one-year-old, intact male, 28-kg, mixed-breed dog developed neurological episodes consistent with emboli. An acquired III/VI holosystolic heart murmur was ausculted in the mitral area, and valvular endocarditis with pulmonic and aortic insufficiency were noted at echocardiographic examination. An abnormal communication (i.e., fistula) between the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) and the left atrium adjacent to the mitral valve annulus was noted with Doppler imaging and confirmed with angiography. Infective valvular endocarditis was confirmed based on two of three blood cultures being positive for Staphylococcus intermedius. In humans, a sequela to infective endocarditis of the aortic or mitral valve, or both, is rupture of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa, resulting in a communication between the LVOT and the left atrium. This is the first report of this sequela in the dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10730623/