Enlarged heart in a corgi?
Hello everyone,
First time I'm posting, so apologies if this subject has been discussed before.
We left our corgi (a 5-year old, male Pembroke) in a trusted kennel over the weekend. He is up to date on all vaccinations, including kennel cough. When we picked him up (last Tuesday), we noticed he was a bit 'hoarse'. His bark got raspier over the week and he started wheezing late Sunday evening so we took him to an emergency vet. The vet said that the coughing was probably caused by bronchitis; however, the vet was concerned that his X-ray showed an enlarged heart. He suggested we consult a cardiologist. We're scheduling that appointment; in the meantime, I looked up 'enlarged hearts in dogs' on the internet. The prognosis is depressingly dismal; but the condition seems to be restricted to larger breeds, and very rare in small dogs. Furthermore, I've read on several websites that because corgis are a dwarf (vs. small) breed, their hearts are relatively large for their body size (for example, http://www.petssecondchance.org/corgis.html).
Obviously, we'll wait and see what the specialist says. But has anyone had any experience with this? He is still a relatively young dog and has never had any health problems (besides an encounter with a horse chestnut as a puppy!).
Fingers crossed here...
First time I'm posting, so apologies if this subject has been discussed before.
We left our corgi (a 5-year old, male Pembroke) in a trusted kennel over the weekend. He is up to date on all vaccinations, including kennel cough. When we picked him up (last Tuesday), we noticed he was a bit 'hoarse'. His bark got raspier over the week and he started wheezing late Sunday evening so we took him to an emergency vet. The vet said that the coughing was probably caused by bronchitis; however, the vet was concerned that his X-ray showed an enlarged heart. He suggested we consult a cardiologist. We're scheduling that appointment; in the meantime, I looked up 'enlarged hearts in dogs' on the internet. The prognosis is depressingly dismal; but the condition seems to be restricted to larger breeds, and very rare in small dogs. Furthermore, I've read on several websites that because corgis are a dwarf (vs. small) breed, their hearts are relatively large for their body size (for example, http://www.petssecondchance.org/corgis.html).
Obviously, we'll wait and see what the specialist says. But has anyone had any experience with this? He is still a relatively young dog and has never had any health problems (besides an encounter with a horse chestnut as a puppy!).
Fingers crossed here...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
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Have you thought of getting a second opinion? Keeping my fingers crossed for you too.
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Permalink Reply by Renee on
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I'm with Natalie, Get another opinion! IN the mean time I'll keep my fingers crossed.
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Permalink Reply by Mandy and Lori on
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Oh that is so scary! Keep us posted, my prayers are with you!!
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Permalink Reply by Laura on
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Hi again everyone,
Thanks for all your concern and good wishes. I'm happy to report good news--our corgi Teddy is OK! The cardiologist confirmed that corgis do have relatively large hearts for their size (but we knew that already, right? ;) due to a combination of the fact they're a dwarf breed and their 'unusual' chest shape (Teddy looked slightly insulted at that remark). Heart beat and rhythm were good, no unusual noises, the heart profile looked OK in the X-ray, and the coughing and wheezing have subsided with antibiotics.
Apparently these are little known facts even among vets. So, if for whatever reason, your corgi has an X-ray and the vet diagnoses an enlarged heart -- don't panic, and do seek a second opinion from a vet familiar with the breed.
Thanks again all, have a great holiday!
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