Congenital heart defects in dogs cause significant welfare impacts from birth — with some conditions correctable through surgery and others requiring lifetime management to maintain quality of life.
Congenital heart disease imposes welfare burdens from the earliest weeks of life. Severely affected puppies struggle to nurse, fail to thrive, and may die in the first weeks. Those with moderate disease grow slowly and fatigue easily, unable to keep pace with littermates. The welfare tragedy is that many of these conditions are hereditary and preventable through responsible breeding practices — the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mitral valve disease epidemic is a direct consequence of breeding decisions that could have been modified decades ago. Correctable conditions like PDA and pulmonic stenosis have excellent surgical and catheterization outcomes that dramatically improve quality and length of life. Breeders have a moral responsibility to cardiac screen breeding animals and retire affected individuals, regardless of their show or commercial value.