Foal Heart Murmurs Could Signal Other Problems

Any foal with an abnormally high respiration rate, heart rate, blue gums, or exercise intolerance should be evaluated for heart defects. If one is found, it’s a good idea to look for other congenital problems.

K. Gary Magdesian, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVECC, Dipl. ACVCP, and his colleagues at the University of California, Davis reviewed the medical records of 18 foals that w

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Any foal with an abnormally high respiration rate, heart rate, blue gums, or exercise intolerance should be evaluated for heart defects. If one is found, it's a good idea to look for other congenital problems.

K. Gary Magdesian, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, ACVCP, and his colleagues at the University of California, Davis reviewed the medical records of 18 foals that were born with one or more cardiac defects. Just as in people, the most common congenital heart defect was ventricular septal defect (VSD)–a hole in the wall that separates the right and left ventricles. Other common problems were tetralogy of Fallot, a set of four defects that lowers the amount of oxygen in the blood, and tricuspid valve atresia, where the heart valve that prevents the backflow of blood between the right atrium and right ventricle is missing or malformed.

Half of the foals also had a congenital defect that affected another organ. "Foals should be evaluated for loud murmurs as part of a healthy foal examination during the first one to two days of life," said Magdesian. "If a loud murmur is heard, and the foal exhibits high heart or respiratory rate, blue tinged gums, or exercise intolerance, it should be evaluated with an echocardiogram for a heart defect. If none of these signs are present, the murmur should be evaluated in a few days. If the intensity does not decrease, then an echocardiogram would be indicated.

"In addition, half of the foals in our study had concurrent defects in other organ systems, so affected foals should be evaluated for other defects, including kidney, neurologic, and musculoskeletal abnormalities

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