Oliveira P, Domenech O, Silva J et al.
Clinica Veterinaria Gran Sasso, Milan, Italy.
J Vet Intern Med 2011;25:477–83.
Editor’s note: In this retrospective analysis of the medical records of 4480 dogs that were presented to a cardiology referral centre in Italy between 1997 and 2010, the authors examined the incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD). All of the patients underwent complete transthoracic echocardiographic examination. Of the 4480 dogs, 976 (21.7%) were diagnosed with CHD. In 832 of these cases (85%), a single defect was diagnosed, most commonly pulmonic stenosis (PS; 32.1%), followed by subaortic stenosis (SAS; 21.3%), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA, 20.9%), ventricular septal defects (VSD, 7.5%), valvular aortic stenosis (VAS; 5.7%), and tricuspid dysplasia (3.1%). In 132 cases, two concurrent defects were diagnosed.