Heart Murmurs

[SJM]

Hi, I've never used a site like this before so please bear with me.

We are hoping to get a whippet pup but have just heard that it has a heart murmur.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Should we go ahead?

We are devastated by the news but so, so , so wanted a whippet and they are really hard to find up here.

Thanks for any help.

 

[jodillanhn]

Hi, I've never used a site like this before so please bear with me.
We are hoping to get a whippet pup but have just heard that it has a heart murmur.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Should we go ahead?

We are devastated by the news but so, so , so wanted a whippet and they are really hard to find up here.

Thanks for any help.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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some vets incorrectly diagnose a whippet with a heart murmer, the breed's heart functions differently thats all!! During rest the beat appears to be erratic then when the dog's running about it will be more uniform. Even if it does have a murmer there is nothing to worry about!! I've got a heart murmer, in fact a surprising percentage of people in th UK have one and never find out!! The vet may be correct as i say but there is nothing to worry about. You're better to take the dog to a vet that has had a lot of dealing with whippets (they cant be expected to know every in & out of every breed)

 

[Susan]

We got a pup and he had a heart murmur at 8 weeks, be broke his leg at 10 months at the heart murmur was gone (w00t) .

Vet's do get it wrong sometimes :thumbsup:

 

[Ann Glews]

Hi see the thread started last week by member ruitonmanse - lots of good advice here.

:luck: Good luck and go for it :huggles:

 

[talisman]

Hi

I thought my pup had a heart problem but I looked it up on the internet and found a lot of whippets are misdiagnosed because they have a unusual heart beat. If you are not sure about the pup could you take it to a specialist before you buy it and get a second opinion.

What area are you in as I am sure someone on here will be able to help you with looking for a pup if you have any doubts about this one

Wendy

 

[Ridgesetter]

Whilst many will tell you not to worry, I would err on the side of caution as losing a dog young from heart disease is extremely distressing.

Some vets miss finding murmurs at the initial first visit and checkup and they are subsequently found later by the owner's vet. Other murmurs are present at 6 weeks and then disappear at follow up checkeups (generally PDA's). And there are plenty of dogs with heart diseases that go on to live long and enjoyable lives with no medication or special treatment required. But not all do.

In ALL cases where our vet has heard a murmur, even a slight one, we have visited a cardiac specialist to have the murmur diagnosed via dopplar ultrasound and in the majority of cases, took the littermates for the specialist to check. (An ECG is not enough to diagnose.)

Don't be overly concerned but you need to be fully informed. As you've read, many people have heart murmurs and live full and enjoyable lives. My advice, don't take the puppy unless the murmur has been properly diagnosed and the breeder can give you a report from the vet outlining the cause of the murmur and prognosis.

For the sake of the breed in general, any breeder who has a murmur detected in a puppy should have it diagnosed by a specialist cardiac veterinarian.

Good luck.

 

[SJM]

Thanks for all the replies.

The way we feel is that we really would like to have this pup, regardless.

We will love him just the same and give him a good quality of life. Obviously we won't get any pet insurance will we?

Perhaps he will indeed go on to live a great long life. We still have a while to wait before we can have him anyway.