First description of partial atrioventricular septal defect in a rabbit

Congenital heart diseases have rarely been described in rabbits. The purpose of the present case report is to describe the clinical, radiological, echocardiographic and pathological features of a partial atrioventricular septal defect in a pet rabbit. A 3-month-old 380-gram male vaccinated pet rabbit was presented for decreased activity, increased respiratory rate and effort, anorexia and decreased fecal output of two days of duration. Total body radiographic images revealed severe cardiomegaly associated with enlarged caudal pulmonary vessels and increased interstitial to alveolar lung pattern.

Source: Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine - June 2, 2018 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Nicola Di Girolamo, Chiara Palmieri, Marco Baron Toaldo, Annalisa Nicoletti, Giliola Spattini, Ulrich Zeyen, Paolo Selleri Tags: Brief communication Source Type: research