I took Coopernicus, "Cooper", into the Vet this morning to get him microchipped and to get his 9 week shots. I could tell something was wrong when the vet silently listened to his stethoscope for about 5 minutes. Cooper has a heart murmur and arrhythmia (double beat - but only when under stress). His murmur is between a stage 2 & 3 (out of 6). He also said that this is definitely congenital, and should have been discovered in previous examinations by the breeder's vet. The vet said that the next step is an eco-cardiogram to determine whether this is something that he can survive or not. The breeder guarantees the pup against hereditary defects so they will pay for the EKG. Needless to say, I did not get him microchipped nor did I get his vaccinations…I was instantly grief stricken. My fiancee is beside herself…How serious is this? Does anyone have any similar experiences?
2007-03-12 09:38:21 · 5 answers · asked by Cooper 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I know of several dogs who have heart murmurs, two of whom are now over 5 years old and they lead pretty normal lives. However, their murmurs are not serious.
If this was my puppy, I'd be insisting the breeders either refund my money or replace with a healthy puppy, but that's entirely up to you. You can wait to see what the vet has to say about his prognosis, but a reputable breeder would be more than willing to make good on this.
I can understand that you're grief stricken now, but imagine how much worse it will be if something were to happen to this poor dog when you've had him several years.
2007-03-12 09:45:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You really can't tell until they have done an EKG. I'm glad you have an honourable breeder who will stand by their health guarantee. You will be better able to decide after the tests are done.
Don't despair yet, many dogs have lived long lives with a low level heart murmur. My Great Dane lived to 11 years old and was healthy right up to the last. She had a level 3 murmur for many years.
2007-03-12 09:51:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I see another vet has done his best to scare the heck out out another person. Look a murmur of 2 or 3 is not that bad. And quite frankly NO vet can tell just by listening what kind of murmur it is. You can get the Eco done but thats going to coast you big bucks and is unessasy right now. That vet should not have told you that it is congenital because he has no way of knowing that unless he has x-ray eyes and superior hearing. I bet he told you the pup will die before it was 2 years old too.
Murmurs are grade on a scale of 1 to 6. 1 being the lowest and 6 being the very worst. Your pup is not on the high end at all.Most pups out grow their murmurs by the time they are 5 months old. If they dont then its significally decreased and of no real concern to the pet or to the owner.
If you took your puppy to another vet he's going to give you another opinion and probably grade the murmur another number. Its all in what the vet thinks he's hearing.
Unless you were planning to show this dog and then breed him then keep the pup and enjoy him. I have had many pups that have had murmurs and they all out grew them before they were placed in their new homes.
If your breeder vet did not think it was of inportance then he probably didn't even mention it to her.
Some vets just overstep them selves and sound the alarm before its necessary.This is just my opinion.
I would not curtail the pups activity at all, the murmer does not deem that to be necessary.
2007-03-12 10:42:13 · answer #3 · answered by ♥Golden gal♥ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Try not to panic. Cooper will notice and it will make him feel worse. I also just learned that my dog has a heart murmur (grade 4 at rest and it gets much worse if she's had any activity). I stressed myself out the first day and when I learned that it is one that she won't survive, I lost it and spent two days bawling. I had never seen any physical signs of her having a murmur (exhaustion, heaving breathing with no exercise and not being hot, loss of appetite) but after seeing me so stressed for a few days it was very apparent that she was actually sick. After I calmed down for a day, she was feeling better in a couple of days and back to her usual happy-go-lucky self.
I would not stress him right now and keep his exercise to a minimum. Try to give him multiple small meals. Digesting large meals requires alot of oxygen that he may not be getting due to the heart defect. Get the EKG as well as x-rays and find out what kind of murmur this is. After you find out what kind it is, you can make a more informed decision about his future. My girl is going to die from hers, likely before the end of the year, and my decision is to not change her life. She will continue to run and play as she always has and I will not give the medications that leave her drugged. There is nothing that can save her (she cannot survive the surgery) so I have decided that she can at least spend whatever time she has left as happy as can be. She just would not understand it if I didn't let her play and I just don't feel it is right to leave her drugged when the meds will only buy her a couple of months at the most. This is MY decision for MY dog and you will have to decide what is best for YOUR dog. He may be able to live a normal length life by limiting his activities or giving meds and you'll have to decide if it is worth it for him based on his personality and your own feelings (try to think more about him than you though no matter how hard it is). If he is a candidate for surgery and the vets think he can survive it (get two opinions on that; I asked several and all said my girl wouldn't last five minutes with anesthesia) then go for it. If he cannot, do the best you can for him while keeping his quality of life good. No matter what, love him like there's no tomorrow and have no regrets about his life. If it was a happy life, even a short happy life, then there isn't anything to regret. That's much better than many healthy dogs get. If you want to talk or just vent, you can e-mail me at stary_eyed_angel@yahoo.com. I have provided a link on several different kinds of murmurs. Ignore the breed part and just click on the type since many of them affect breeds other than what is listed. This information won't do you much good until you find out what kind of murmur it is though.
2007-03-12 09:55:54 · answer #4 · answered by Erica Lynn 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'm so sorry that you have to face this. This can be very serious and your vet gave you the right advice. Take your dog for the EKG and based on the results, you can make your decison on what to do next. I'm glad to hear your breeder is being helpful and will honor the health guarantee.
2007-03-12 09:43:11 · answer #5 · answered by ? 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
My Boxer had a heart murmur and it never hurt her.
2007-03-12 09:41:38 · answer #6 · answered by true blue 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋