• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.343-346
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• 2015

A 4-year-old castrated male Dachshund was presented with a chronic history of dyspnea and cyanosis. Complete blood count revealed marked polycythemia with a hematocrit of 79.7%. Thoracic radiographs showed mild right-sided cardiac enlargement. Echocardiography showed a large ventricular septal defect in the left ventricular outflow tract region just proximal to the aortic valve. On Doppler echocardiography, right-to-left shunt flow through the defect was found and confirmed by contrast echocardiography. Based on these diagnostic findings and clinical signs, the dog was diagnosed as right-to-left shunting ventricular septal defect. Phlebotomy and oxygen supplement were performed, but the dog died the day after presentation.