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 Pet Central
Q&A
Q: In doing a routine
check-up on our Great Pyrenees puppy, the vet found he has pulmonic stenosis.
The vet suggested we give up the dog. Instead, we’re going to Michigan
State University to get a second opinion. If Malik does have pulmonic
stenosis, should we return him to the breeder? -- H.D, Richland, Mich.
A: About returning
the dog to the breeder, that’s a decision you’ll have to make. Your vet
probably heard a heart murmur at the office, and is making an educated
guess. Pulmonic stenosis is a restriction on proper blood flow from the
pulmonic valve to the lungs. It makes the dog’s right ventricle work harder
to get the job done.
Veterinary cardiologist
Dr. Paul Pion, of Davis, Calif., says the only way to make a certain diagnosis
and determine the degree of severity of the stenosis , from mild to severe,
is to have an ultrasound. That’s no doubt what you’ll be doing at Michigan
State. Assuming the vet’s guess was correct about pulmonic stenosis, and
assuming there are no other physical problems, your dog will probably
live out a normal life.
Pion, also president
and CEO of the Veterinary Information Network on America Online, says
continuing symptoms can range from being too subtle to detect to noting
the pooch tires more easily, pants more, even faints if he exercises too
much in the heat. There is a slightly increased risk of Malik developing
a sudden and fatal ventricular fibrillation (very rapid and uncontrolled
heartbeat). You can decrease the chances and the symptoms by a procedure
which inserts a balloon to widen and stretch the valve. Pion nearly always
recommends this procedure. The cost is about $1,000 to $2,000.
However, if it turns
out Malik instead has aortic stenosis, affecting the opposite side
of the heart, this can be a far more serious matter. The long-term prognosis
for dogs with moderate to severe aortic stenosis isn’t good, perhaps living
only a few years. Pion says the previously mentioned balloon procedure
isn’t likely to stretch that lifespan.
Pion himself has
a white West Highland white terrier with pulmonic stenosis. He says his
dog’s only symptom is that he can’t keep up when Pion uses his fast roller
blades.
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