Arrhythmia in my chihuahua

Question
I bought a 2 yr old male chihuahua from a breeder last week. I took him to be de-sexed 2 days ago & was told he had arrhythmia. Do you think the breeder have an obligation to disclose this to me & more importantly, is this a serious condition? The breeder claimed to be a vet nurse, I'm not impressed with her, but I'm already attached to the little guy & will keep him and want to keep him healthy as long as possible. Thanks, Chris

Answer
Hello!

It kind of depends on what type of arrhytmia he has. If he has a sinus arrhytmia, which is a normal variation in sinus rhythm related to respiratory rate and resulting from vagal tone inhibition, in other words heart rate increases with inspiration and decreases with expiration. This is not an abnormal rhythm (only when it is exacerbated by labored respiratory effort like on some respiratory disease conditions, then it is abnormal). So if this is the type of arrhytmia, then it is a normal finding in dogs, and no treatment is necessary unless there is an underlying cause like a respiratory disease etc. If it's some other kind of arryhytmia which is really uncommon at this age but of course he may have it, then it may be a different story. But only your vet can tell you about it after an ECG. The breeder probably wouldn't know even if he has a problem, so they wouldnt be able to tell you about it. I hope this helps, please dont hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.

Kind Regards,
Caglar Kondu Erkip, D.V.M