Congenital heart defects in dogs cause variable welfare impacts from clinically silent conditions to severe exercise intolerance and heart failure requiring lifelong management.
Congenital heart disease causes welfare impacts ranging from minimal (small haemodynamically insignificant defects) to severe (significant obstruction causing restricted activity, fainting, and shortened lifespan). Dogs with severe SAS cannot exercise without risk of sudden death from arrhythmia — their activity must be restricted, which is itself a welfare challenge for young, energetic dogs. Balloon valvuloplasty for pulmonic stenosis is curative in many cases and produces excellent welfare outcomes, restoring near-normal exercise capacity. The heritable nature of some congenital defects makes breeding cardiac screening a welfare priority to reduce prevalence in future generations of affected breeds.