A veterinary pathologist at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, Josué Díaz-Delgado, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVP, recently contributed to what is likely the first documented case of a rare cardiovascular defect in an avian species.
The case involved a 33-year-old, male, blue-and-gold macaw (Ara ararauna), that died unexpectedly, without prior clinical indications, at the owner’s home, and was submitted to TVMDL for postmortem examination. The evaluation revealed a congenital cardiac anomaly: a subaortic interventricular septal saccular defect consistent with a cardiac diverticulum. The defect was associated with scarring of part of the aortic valve and led to congestive heart failure, including thickening of the left heart chamber and fluid buildup in the lungs.
Congenital cardiac anomalies are rarely documented in birds and typically present earlier in life. This case represents the first known report of this particular defect in an avian species and underscores the potential for congenital heart disease to remain clinically silent well into advanced age.
This finding expands current knowledge of avian cardiovascular pathology and highlights the value of thorough postmortem diagnostics in exotic species.
The article is published in the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery by the Association of Avian Veterinarians, in collaboration with veterinarian Anna Osofsky, DVM, Dipl. ABVP.
