Level 3 heart murmur

AmyB · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:46 pm Post subject:

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope everything is okay with Storm. Please keep us posted.

Do heart murmurs come and go like that or did she just miss it last time?

Colleen74 · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:59 pm Post subject:

I have a 9 year old that has had a heart murmur diagnosed since she was a pup. She isn't on medication and she's never had any issues. We have an ultrasound done every 9 months just to keep an eye on things. I know how easy it is to panic when the vet tells you "heart problem"...but it hasn't been that big a deal in my case. I hope the same for you!

scrbear11 · Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:30 pm Post subject:

I have a 3 year old Cairn Terrier with a 4/6 heart murmur. It's so bad when you put your ear up against his chest you can hear it. We had an echocardiogram done and he was diagnosed with mild Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) which is when there is a hole between the venticles. Apparently the smaller the hole the louder the murmur because it echos. Scary thing is the murmur is getting better... so the hole may be getting bigger. He's a puppy mill dog, so who knows how he was bred. He also had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever so this could have caused it...

Basically- my advice- go see a cadiologist, or have your vet do an echocardiogram. It could be nothing more than a little regurgitated blood through the valves, or it could be a serious heart defect.

weinyrhymer · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:51 am Post subject:

How are things with Storm?

I was glad to see this thread because the vet just called to tell me that Atlas has a heart murmur (they were doing a pre-exam before a dental cleaning), and they've never noticed it before. Of course I am panicking, because that is what I do very well when it comes to the pup, but they're going to run an EKG and some chest x-rays and can give me a referral to a cardiologist. Anyway, after reading all this, I feel a bit better. I was wondering if this meant he might not live long (and he's only 5) and if I had to limit his exercise ..

I am thinking that the universe is telling me that I should have gotten pet insurance, because he certainly knows how to run though my savings, LOL.

rejoh0605 · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:01 am Post subject:

My mini-dachshund was diagnosed with a level 4 heart murmur when he was 4 years old. The vet said the prognosis was not good. We put him on Enalipril....he is now almost 10 years old and running strong! His heart murmur is still there, but it does not seem to affect him.

windrow · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:59 pm Post subject: heart murmur

we lost our weim Rorie this past monday (8/11/0 Cool

to a heart disease (over-sized heart with a murmur). The emergency vet we took her to monday night noticed the murmur right away and asked if our vet had notified us of this abnormality. Our regular vet never mentioned it, so we were quite surprised. They wanted to keep her over night and run some test and an EKG the following morning. I received the phone call an hour later telling me that her heart stopped beating and they were performing CPR. After 10 mins of attempting to revive her I told them to let her rest. I am 6' 225 lbs and have cried for 4 days now and still crying as I write this message. supposed to be extremely rare with weims, but worth having some additional tests performed now and start medication if available.

DukesMom · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject:

That is devastating! I am so sorry about your Rorie Crying or Very sad

jasminesmom · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:28 pm Post subject:

I've had a weim with a heart murmur. She was diagnosed with it when she was just a puppy. She lived a healthy life and did not have really any issues until the age of 9. All of the sudden I could tell it was getting worse. She pretty much laid around the last month of her life. I could tell it was starting to bother her when she wasn't really able to eat or drink without coughing (as a result of the murmur-the heart muscle becomes enlarged and fluid building in the lungs.) The final day she did not eat. I took her to the vet and they did an ultrasound and echo cardiogram, sent her findings to a cardiologist then changed her heart meds she was currently taking (benazipril). They also gave her something for the cough. We got home and she still did not want to eat. She went outside and after a few minutes I called her. I realized she had bloated, called my vet at home and he did emergency surgery on her. At the time she had an outrageous heartbeat but was able to make it through the surgery. I allowed my vet to take her home to watch her but asked that he please do whatever was necessary for her not to be in pain. He kept telling me she was okay. I kissed her bye and my vet took her home with him, she fell asleep and never woke up. I knew that last week that she did not seem very happy. I regretted listening to everyone else tell me she was okay because I could have saved her from the bloat by putting her down a few days before.
I would say that as long as the puppy seems fine to keep her on heart meds and the condition may improve with monitoring the condition and changing meds as necessary. Maddie had a wonderful life and was the sweetest dog I have ever had. I hope your puppy will have a long life too. I did read a couple things posted by some people who have had similar experiences. I am attaching the link. Hope this helps. : )
http://www.dogster.com/forums/Dog_Health/thread/544010