RE: Tachycardia in a young labrador retriever

Dave Dickson — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 09:30:30 GMT

Hi Julie

Yes I agree with Roger - OAVRT (accessory pathway) is a concern here so I'd push for some investigation - Holter is the ideal test here, though an echo is still useful as there is an association with tricuspid dysplasia in the breed too.

Dave

RE: Tachycardia in a young labrador retriever

Julie Innes — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 08:38:51 GMT

That's great , thanks Roger! They are nice people, so I think I they will have him investigated. I'll let you know the outcome!

RE: Tachycardia in a young labrador retriever

Roger Wilkinson — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 20:08:48 GMT

It's a no brainer for me Julie -I think you have to advise them to get it checked out. As you say OAVRT a 'classic' phenomenon in Labs https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6189389/ .....and cardiac arrest is a potential presenting sign....

The only caveat is that it may not be absolutely straightforward deciding how to manage it if only intermittently affected..and they might end up spending a significant amount of money without getting clear cut answers. Or looking at a relatively expensive ablation procedure. However, that doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do to investigate...If it were me I would just try to manage expectations and leave it up to them to decide whether to go ahead.

If they don't then they certainly need to be aware of potential presenting signs of sustained OAVRT including GI manifestations as well as the usual cardiac signs if progresses to CHF (tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy). Also if not investigated now then possibility of OAVRT would need to be factored into any future procedures or therapies.

hope that helps

best wishes

Roger