lionqueen Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Hi all, Justa question regarding congenital heart defects. We have a 16 week old Rottweiler puppy that has just been diagnosed with SAS. His breeder assures me that both parents are cardiac tested and are clear of any problems, but somehow this happened. He is recommending that we PHTS as his quality of life will be compromised by the condition, and is offering to replace the puppy. We are just wanting to make the best decision, as we are attached to him and obviously it is a head vs heart decision. Has anyone had any experience with this kind of thing happening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjelkier Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I'm very sorry to hear that. Poor puppy. Have you actually seen the parents heart tests or has the breedeer just told you they're ok? Personally I'd be wanting to see paper work. As for what to do with pup, well that's harder. How severe is he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 (edited) The exact mode of inheritance for SAS still has not been proven. In simple terms though, it is believed that any affected dog can produce SAS in its offspring and there does not need to be a matching gene in the other parent. An affected dog should not be used for breeding. I too would ask to see paperwork, but as a clinically unaffected dog may produce SAS in its offspring if it carries the gene, the sire and dam may not have shown anything but still have passed it along. The possibility of this can be lessened with multi generation testing, but at present it is not an exact science and surprises can unfortunately happen. SAS is characterized by an obstruction (stenosis) or "lesion" near the aortic valve which causes turbulence or "noise" in the blood as it passes through the valve, manifest in most (but not all) affected dogs as a heart murmur. Diagnosis of SAS in its mildest form is extremely difficult. A dog affected with the mildest form of SAS will lead a full life of normal duration and quality, and will most likely be completely asymptomatic. Even those with moderate SAS can lead normal lives. However, dogs that are severely affected are at risk of sudden death. Heart failure is very rare except in the most severe cases. Medication can sometimes be helpful in managing the more severe forms of the disease. If you haven't had this checked by a cardiologist, I would do so as they can advise more fully on your options. Closest will likely be Dr Neik Beijerink at the University Of Sydney (the University teaching hospital - you can get a specialist referral to there). there are only a few cardiology specialists in Australia unfortunately. There is another in Brisbane I think if that is easier for you to get to, but I don't have the name off the top of my head. SAS is an unusual congenital disease in that the definitive "lesion" is not present at birth and does not develop until around 3-4 weeks of age, and the resulting heart murmur may not be detected until approximately 6-8 weeks of age. In some of the mildest cases, the murmur may remain undetectable for several years. Many murmurs are detected at an early age. Some turn out to be "innocent" and disappear as the puppy matures. Those that linger on at 16 and 20 weeks can pose problems. Any persistent murmur, especially one near or over the aortic valve, should be evaluated by an experienced cardiologist, and followed up with a Doppler echocardiogram. A murmur detected in an adult dog should be followed by an echocardiogram with Doppler. Edited December 21, 2013 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionqueen Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Thanks for the replies... Unfortunately we made the decision to PHTS, and poor Ruger left us today...It was awful to say goodbye to such a vibrant beautiful big boy, but we had to do what was best for him, I cried like a baby...The breeder has been fantastic through this whole ordeal, he is as devastated as we are...We have the pick of a pup from 2 upcoming litters, I can't fault him for that at least. Sorry it's taken me so long to reply... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonwoman Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Thanks for the replies... Unfortunately we made the decision to PHTS, and poor Ruger left us today...It was awful to say goodbye to such a vibrant beautiful big boy, but we had to do what was best for him, I cried like a baby...The breeder has been fantastic through this whole ordeal, he is as devastated as we are...We have the pick of a pup from 2 upcoming litters, I can't fault him for that at least. Sorry it's taken me so long to reply... Well done to you and the breeder for doing the right thing by your little boy................all the best for the future.................breeding and owning dogs is not all beer and skittles, sadly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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