Congenital heart disease in dogs and cats

The presence of congenital heart disease in dogs and cats is usually indicated by a cardiac murmur. There may or may not be further signs of cardiac failure. The type and site of a murmur often suggests the nature of the underlying lesion, but electrocardiography and radiography can give further indications of the nature of the defect. Advanced diagnostic procedures include cardiac catheterisation for angiography, blood pressure recording and blood gas analysis, but this technique is now being superseded in many cases by cardiac ultrasound. Some lesions can be demonstrated directly by echocardiography, but the source of the murmur and the severity of the deformity can be defined precisely by Doppler. Congenital cardiovascular disorders can increasingly be relieved by sophisticated surgery.