Abstract
The detection of a congenital heart defect at purchase is an important step in early detection from a clinical and legal standpoint. Indeed, some cardiac abnormalities may be corrected with surgery, and very often, treatment needs to be performed early before congestive heart failure or irreversible heart damage can occur. From a legal viewpoint, if the defect is revealed in a newly purchased puppy, the buyer may be required to return it and receive compensation. Puppies affected with congenital heart defects are likely to die prematurely, causing emotional suffering to the owner. Furthermore, by considering breed predisposition, early recognition allows breeders to avoid breeding from particular dogs with genetic defects and prevent the continuation of genetic defects in breeding lines. Given gaps in the literature about the recognition of murmurs in the puppy trade, the present article describes how to identify a heart murmur in a puppy during a pre-purchase examination and its significance from a clinical and legal viewpoint. In the canine population, the prevalence of cardiac defects ranges between 0.13 and 1.6%. Pulmonic stenosis is the most common defect found in puppies, followed by patent ductus arteriosus, subaortic stenosis, and ventricular septal defect. On the basis of the above considerations, the veterinarian should recognize and identify the murmur following a protocol for routine examination of puppies involved in trade.
Highlights
Buying a puppy is an important step for most pet owners
The prospective owner aspires for the puppy to be healthy and fit well with the new family, often acting on impulse driven by the opportunity and enthusiasm to get a dog
A pre-purchase examination before selling is strongly recommended in order to evaluate the health status of the animal
Summary
Buying a puppy is an important step for most pet owners. The prospective owner aspires for the puppy to be healthy and fit well with the new family, often acting on impulse driven by the opportunity and enthusiasm to get a dog. The discovery of an apparently innocent murmur (hearable discontinuously, early systolic with an intensity of I–II/VI, with the point of maximum intensity in left cardiac base) in a healthy puppy necessitates no more than a follow-up examination at the appointment for vaccination. Once the presence of a murmur has been identified, the aim for the veterinarian during the pre-purchase (clinical) examination is to determine the existence, severity, and exact origin of the underlying cardiac disease. Given the gaps in the literature regarding a clinical protocol or guidelines for the identification of a cardiac murmur during puppy trade, the authors describe how to categorize heart murmurs in the animal during a pre-purchase examination and its significance from a clinical and legal viewpoint, as murmurs can be physiological or pathological
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