[kimbrown5929]

Hello
I am new to this site, but not to GSD dogs. Last Friday, 3 days ago, we picked up our new puppy. We decided on a female after having only males. we were told she is the runt of the litter and immediately fell in love.
She rode the 2 hour trip home just beautifuly. She has an excellant temperment, and fit right in. She is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing just fine. She is curious, and very playfull.
We did notice that her heart seems to beat fast and hard. She does not seem unusally tired or lathargic.
we took her to a new vet today (ours was not accepting new patients) and as the vet was checking her out we told her about our girls heart beat. The vet listened, frowned and said she heard a murmor and wanted to take xrays. She came back and said our baby had PDA and nothing short of a very expensive surgery would keep her alive.
Vet would not give her shots. We left and I began my research. From what I can see, the only thing she has is the rapid and strong heartbeat.
Can anyone help me with information about this or point me in the right direction? I am not sure I trust this vet at all and our baby seems like a normal GSD puppy

 

[gsdsar]

Congrats on your new baby dog!!!

PDA or patent ductus arteriosis is when a vessel does not close. It needs surgical intervention. Dogs who get surgical intervention early live perfectly normal lives with a normal life span.

The murmur heard in a PDA is very distinct. And should have been by the breeders vet when getting health clearances. Have you talked to the breeder?

The surgery is expensive. But it's an actual fix. Without surgery, your pup will have a much shorter lifespan.

 

[RoseW]

I second gsdsar’s comments. I’ve had my own gsd with a pda issue, but once it is repaired they are as normal as any other dog. Mine was very similar to your puppy in that he was on the normal end of the spectrum and didn’t show many of the common signs of a pda aside from a murmur.

Next step may be to confirm the diagnosis with a veterinary cardiologist and an echocardiogram. If it is a pda, intervention is very important as >50% of dogs with untreated pdas will go into heart failure before 1 year of age.


The University of Florida Small Animal Hospital has a nice summary here https://smallanimal.vethospital.ufl...-tissue-surgery/patent-ductus-arteriosus-pda/

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/patent-ductus-arteriosus-in-dogs

https://wagwalking.com/treatment/pda-ligation

I'd get a second opinion from another vet, and plan for surgery ASAP if needed. This is a genetic defect so make sure your breeder knows. It's probably in the Puppy Warranty that they may do something to help. Giving you back the cost of the puppy to help with the surgery would be a good start.