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Heart Murmur

chase69

chase69

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I would be very grateful for any advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so worried took chase to the vet today for a pre -op check as he is having an op on mon for an undescended testicle /neutered and I have been worried about him having the op. we have ben to the vets tonight to be told that she can hear a heart murmur and recommends he has a doppler scan to find the cause . Chase is 15months old and this has not been picked up on previous visits.He is very healthy and last time we went to the vets in feb he told us he was in prime condtion. It goes without saying we are extemely worried .has anyone come across this in their dogs all advice would be gratefully received .
 
Diesel was diagnosed with a heart murmur at eight weeks old. We were advised that he should grow out of it and sure enough he has.

I haven't any experience with heart murmurs at an older age in this breed although my cocker spaniel was diagnosed with one at 4 years.

I am sure that somebody on here will be able to offer their experiences.
 
chase69 said:
I would be very grateful for any advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so worried took chase to the vet today for a pre -op check as he is having an op on mon for an undescended testicle /neutered and I have been worried about him having the op. we have ben to the vets tonight to be told that she can hear a heart murmur and recommends he has a doppler scan to find the cause . Chase is 15months old and this has not been picked up on previous visits.He is very healthy and last time we went to the vets in feb he told us he was in prime condtion. It goes without saying we are extemely worried .has anyone come across this in their dogs all advice would be gratefully received .
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Try not to worry too much (easier said than done, I know). It's really good that it has been picked up so early. I have just had an older dog diagnosed with a murmur by a cardiologist who told me that if it is mitral valve disease, it probably won't give him any trouble for some time but if it is cardiomyopathy, then he will need medication sooner. He didn't indicate that I needed to know very quickly, just said I shouldn't ignore it.

It is bad luck that such a young dog has a murmur and I think the vet is right and you should have a doppler scan because the sooner he has the correct medication the better. They are very expensive (about £400) but I believe the Midland Whippet Club is organizing a group session in June which should be a lot cheaper and it is where I am hoping to get my old boy scanned. Personally, I would forget about the undescended testicle until you know what is wrong with his heart because while probably advisable, it is not going to cause him any immediate problem if it is postponed but there is always a risk with an anaesthetic and an undiagnosed heart condition could increase that risk.. Are you a member of any breed club (you don't have to enter a show to be a member)? All breed clubs have been asked to collect data on health generally and particularly heart disease so if you do have him scanned, please send a copy of the certificate to a breed club (pm me if you need to know more about clubs generally or how to be part of the data).

Sadly, quite a few young dogs have had heart disease and as it is potentially fatal, it really does need to be investigated - but that certainly doesn't mean that Chase is suddenly going to become obviously ill and die so don't panic! It's just more important than worrying about an undescended testicle at the moment so if he is not insured and it is an "either or" situation, I know which one I would go for.

Gay

www.moonlake.co.uk
 
Whippets are sometimes misdiagnosed with an irregular heartbeat by a non sighthound vet. Their hearts can sound different to other dogs and it is certainly worth getting a second opinion to make sure this is actually the case.
 
Enid said:
Whippets are sometimes misdiagnosed with an irregular heartbeat by a non sighthound vet. Their hearts can sound different to other dogs and it is certainly worth getting a second opinion to make sure this is actually the case.
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was gonna say the same, definately worth having a second opinion from someone experienced in whippets. best of luck with your boy :luck:
 
Thanks for your advice I have decided to cancel his op and get a second opinion from a different practice .I am not happy allowing him to have the op until I am sure all is ok.
 
At 12 years old Fred whippet has been diagnosed with an irregular heart beat, and a 2nd opinion diagnosed a murmur. However his heart is still quite strong and it's not a worry apparently. I'm a bit confused now by the whole heart thing, but he's 12 and still going strong after a couple of ops (for corns), so I'm not overly worried. It may not be as bad as you think....but I'm not qualified to give my opinion really I guess.
 
Nicola said:
At 12 years old Fred whippet has been diagnosed with an irregular heart beat, and a 2nd opinion diagnosed a murmur. However his heart is still quite strong and it's not a worry apparently. I'm a bit confused now by the whole heart thing, but he's 12 and still going strong after a couple of ops (for corns), so I'm not overly worried. It may not be as bad as you think....but I'm not qualified to give my opinion really I guess.
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Many vets do not understand the hearts of whippets and greyhounds and the fact that these occasional murmurs are what are called here 'innocent' - which means it has to do with the speed with which blood flows through the arteries to the hart and has nothing to do with heart 'disease'. This is not true in all cases, I must state -- because there is heart disease, proven and confirmed, but not of this nature -- in some American bloodlines from the US west. But what you are taking about is likely mitral valve blood flow and as such it is innocent. To give an example. Many years ago we rescued a whippet -- long before we bred anything. The 18 month old bitch was diagnosed, when we took her to our vet, with a level 3 heart murmur. She stayed with that till she was 6 when our then vet diagnosed a significant change - to level 5. She told us to love her as long as we could but we should not expect her to live to 10, and if she got there, to be ever thankful. Every time we picked her up we could feel her heart beat through her flesh. You could hear the blood whoosing through her heart and we were sure the vet -- also a whippet breeder and sometimes judge -- was right.

Ashgrove Tiffany Sunrise (her actual CKC registered name) did die of heart failure. And when she did it was after having a steak dinner with my son after which he, and she went to bed. When she died she was 16 years and 10 months of age. I came down in the morning and discovered her -- I thought sleeping -- but she had gone overnight. The vet's forecast all those years ago did come true... she did die of heart failure but not at the time and in the circumstances we were told we would lose her. Who would not be proud to have owned a whippet who lived a full and apparently healthy life, without a sick day in that entire life, only to lose her at nearly 17 years of age, in her sleep.

I caution this is a story of an 'innocent' heart murmur, and not of the awful cardio myopathy that is being seen with an apparent hereditary basis in some of the dogs known to many of us now in several US lines.

Lanny
 
I'm pleased you've decided to get a second opinion re the heart murmur - you wouldnt be the first person told that their dog had a heart murmur when it was a perfectly normal heart for a running dog - so if possible get to see a greyhound vet , or a sighthound specialist - you may be close to another forum member who can recommend a vet.

We had an old collie/lurcher x who lived till 10 years old who had a grade 3 heart murmur - and she chased her frisbee every day (it was cancer that killed her not her heart)

Good luck.

PS - Have you tried the herbal remedies for the undescended testicle?
 
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