Fallot's teralogy is a congenital disease in dogs and cats. For the Wolfsspitz, a heritability of this cardiac malformation has been proven. If the Wolfsspitz lines are crossed into the Großspitz, the heart disease can also affect them.
The "Tetralogy of Fallot" is named after the French cardiologist Etienne Fallot. It describes the coincidence of four (Greek tetra) malformations of the heart:
ventricular septum defect
Narrowing of the pulmonary valve
Thickening of the walls of the right ventricle (hypertrophy) caused by the high pumping load
overriding" aorta
The aorta normally arises from the left ventricle of the heart. In tetralogy of Fallot, the aorta is shifted so that it also partly arises from the right ventricle. Since the ventricles are separated by the septum, it is obvious that the aorta "overrides" this septum.
How do I notice a tetralogy?
As early as puppies, rapid fatigue or severe exhaustion accompanied by a lack of concentration can be observed. The most noticeable thing is that the mucous membranes or the tongue turn blue when you exert yourself. In rarer cases, even fainting occurs during physical activity. The animal staggers and sways, can collapse in a manner similar to a circulatory collapse.
Other signs include:
Blue discoloration of the mucous membranes
Puppies are often smaller than littermates
quick fatigue
Breathlessness
Tendency to collapse/fainting
Blue discoloration of the mucous membranes (cyanosis)
Impact of a tetralogy
Depending on the severity, little blood flows through the lungs and becomes "loaded" with oxygen. This then mixes with the used blood, so that there is a constant undersupply of oxygen. In response, the body increases hemoglobin levels. This makes the blood thicker and makes it harder for it to penetrate small blood vessels, which can also lead to cyanosis.
The most dangerous complication is hypoxemic seizures. These usually occur in young animals. You will become very pale or blue and weak to the point of unconsciousness.
A reliable diagnosis is only possible if a heart ultrasound examination is carried out. A concentric hypertrophy of the right ventricle, i.e. a thickening of the cardiac musculature, is present in most moderately severe cases.
In addition, the other typical findings in a tetralogy can be displayed in the 2D image and using color Doppler, i.e. the overriding aorta, the ventricular septum defect and the pulmonary stenosis.
The prognosis of untreated tetralogy is poor. Many affected dogs die within the first year of life from lack of oxygen or as a result of polycythemia (increase in the number of red blood cells).
Sources:
Veterinary cardiology lmu
flexikon.doccheck
Picture: Nadezhda Moryak
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