Heart murmur

[Ammo]

Originally Posted by Ril-Mas

Hello and welcome to forum! I'm also from NH.

I wouldn't worry to much about the heart murmur just yet. A lot of puppies have a detectable murmur at this young stage. It's very common and most will outgrow it. What grade did the vet say it was? If it's low your puppy will most likely be fine. Do you know if your puppy comes from health tested parents?

Thanks for the welcome Ril-Mas. I am awaiting for a call back from the vet. My wife just called and the secretary said he will call us back to see if he will give us thy info or if he will say he has to go to the cardio for that answer.
The only people I have seen there at the breeder is the AKC peeps for blood samples and sort. The breeder has a certified vet. I am not sure if they get health tested by anyone other than that vet.

[Ammo]

Originally Posted by 2manydogs

If you are concerned then I would take back the puppy to the breeder. Did your puppy not have a vet check by the breeders vet prior to coming to you?

The breeders vet gave him a clean bill of health. And our vet stated "low base systolic murmur"

[SaharaNight Boxers]

Did these breeders health test for heart disease with echo and holter? It could be harmless and he could outgrow it, or it could be the start of a problem.


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[mahesh_gkumar]

Originally Posted by Ril-Mas

Do you mind if I ask who you saw? I went to Angell Memorial in Boston with Riley last year. We were with Dr. Malakoff. I thought she was great (except she didn't mention possible side effects on one of his meds). Just curious to see if that's who you see.

I should have said suburb of Boston. My bad. We go to Dr Susan at Kindness Animal Hospital- Waltham, MA in Waltham (about 10 miles from Boston). They don't have a cardiologist on site but there refer to Dr Paul Kaplan at VESCONE: Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center of New England, which is also in Waltham.

[Ammo]

Originally Posted by SaharaNight Boxers

Did these breeders health test for heart disease with echo and holter? It could be harmless and he could outgrow it, or it could be the start of a problem.


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I am not sure SaharaNight, but I believe he just has the vet do general checkups on parents.
Very concerned, and I don't want to give the pup back and I don't want the breeder to put him down either. I have heard that breeders usually just put a dog down as it is better for business rather to start doing ECG's.

[Ril-Mas]

I'm at work right now (shhhh!!) but did a quick Google search and found this page... http://www.merckmanuals.com/pethealth/dog_disorders_and_diseases/heart_and_blood_vessel_disorders_of_dogs/congenital_and_inherited_disorders_of_the_cardiova scular_system_in_dogs.html

which says...
　

Innocent Murmurs
　
It is very important to understand that the presence of a heart murmur in a young puppy does not necessarily indicate a congenital heart defect. Many puppies have a low-grade systolic murmur (heard while the ventricles contract) that is not associated with a congenital heart defect. These murmurs usually disappear by 6 months of age. However, loud systolic murmurs and diastolic murmurs (heard while the ventricles relax) do indicate cardiac disease and should prompt further investigation by your veterinarian.

[2manydogs]

Personally I wouldnt worry about it. It sounds like its a puppy murmur which is very common. I would wait until the pup is about 6 mths old and have your vet listen to it again then. even if it doesnt disappear by 6-8mths of age, it is unlikely that it will have any effect on your puppies life.

[Ammo]

Originally Posted by Ril-Mas

I'm at work right now (shhhh!!) but did a quick Google search and found this page... http://www.merckmanuals.com/pethealth/dog_disorders_and_diseases/heart_and_blood_vessel_disorders_of_dogs/congenital_and_inherited_disorders_of_the_cardiova scular_system_in_dogs.html

which says...
　
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Thanks for the Q-links Ril-Mas...I've been readin like crazy about these dang murmurs since noon yesterday. I've learned a lot about them so far. I have one more call to make to a cardio to see what I should do as far as when I call the breeder. Going to be a difficult day, with a lot of things weighing in:
*Severity
*My 3 & 6 year kids will be devastated if I bring him back.
(So will the wife and I)
*If that is the case and I will have to see what the breeder will do to him.
*If he will put him down I don't know if the wife will let that happen. That scenario will place him back in our house because of the bond with everyone this far.

[winnie]

I really wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like a low grade murmer that will likely go away as he ages. He is not having symptoms. My Mo had a low grade murmer his whole life. The vet would say ultrasound, cardiologist, etc. but he never had symptoms and it was low grade. He lived to 12 and died of cancer. His heart was fine.

[af_wx_wife]

Our Maggie was a shelter dog. When we took her to our vet for the first time, they said she had a slight murmur. We weren't about to take her back to the shelter even though it was a no kill. I want to say she was around 8 months when they no longer detected it. I would have to go through her records to double check. I haven't touched her records since I slipped in the paperwork the day we helped her cross the bridge. I don't think I could go through them right now. Sorry!