Back to the original definition, a congenital defect is one present at birth. It may, or may not, also be inherited. The terms are NOT mutually exclusive. One can have a congenital defect that is hereditary or one can have a congenital defect that is from some other cause. Unfortunately veterinary science is light years behind establishing the causes of most congenital defects compared to human medicine, so breeders have to weigh the pros and cons of re-breeding when a litter results in a puppy with a congenital defect of unknown cause. |