Has anyone out there experience of this?

I have a very fit and healthy 5 month old black labrador bitch (Jess), whom I hope to breed from in later years. Good breeding, good hip scores from both parents etc .. Close friends of mine bought her brother, who has grown very fast and never been very active, which the vet put down originally to his speed of growth. To cut it short, he has been diagnosed with a congenital heart disorder; one of his valves is flapping open and overloading his liver. He is now on medication, which if he takes well to it, may extend his life by an unguessable amount. Has anyone come across this before and what was the outcome? We've been told it's inoperable.

We are going to notify the breeder and try and find out if any of the other puppies have a problem. If they do, then I assume it's probably hereditary and will have Jess spayed in due course. If not, has anyone advice on the safety of breeding from her, or should I just give up on the idea. I know I don't have to decide for at least another 2 years or so. Obviously I will be keeping a close eye on her health as well, but at the moment she's as active and fit as you'd expect a young lab to be.

hi jan tricuspid valve disorder is becoming more common .......you should go and get a dopller heart test on her...they should also have the parents done..its definetly inherited

I would NOT breed from her, ALL the siblings should be tested, so should the parents, its an inherited condition (as Kelly said) and has obviously been passed on somewhere. I hope the puppy gets on ok.
Dawn.

Thank you for the helpful replies. We have made a vet's appointment to set a test in motion and my friends are contacting the breeder as it's their puppy who is sick. I'm not bothered about not breeding from Jess, so long as she's alright.