The blood leaking backwards into the right atrium eventually causes the pressure inside this chamber to rise. Since veins returning from the liver connect to the right atrium, the pressure in the veins of the liver also increases. The high venous pressure causes fluid to ooze from these liver vessels which then accumulates in the abdominal cavity. This fluid is termed ascites and is a form of congestive heart failure. The onset of ascites indicates advanced, end-stage cardiac disease.
Medications can help palliate the symptoms, but it is considered a terminal condition.
Fortunately any leakage from a dysplastic valve that is significant enough to cause health problems should be detectable on a physical exam. Most of the time a heart murmur will be heard with a stethoscope. Occasionally, the gap between the valve leaflets will be so large that rather than producing an audible heart murmur, the leak can be felt by placing a hand on the right side of the chest the palpable buzzing sensation is called a thrill . Labradors can have other congenital heart defects besides or in addition to TVD, so a full cardiac work-up for these dogs is important. The diagnosis of TVD is controversial only when attempting to screen asymptomatic breeding animals for the disease.