she is a Caviler king charlies and is 12years old, in good health apart from the heart murmur and a little arthritis, how does your dog coping with this and what do you do to help your dog, do i need to watch for certain signs. Please only sensible answers, i am very worried about my dog.Thank you.
2007-08-04 21:05:23 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
I would like to add that i tuck her to the vet yesterday as she has a kind of fit she went as stiff as a board, her one front leg continuously twitched, we applied heart massage which brought her back, she has had a cough since the fit yesterday, the vet has done some blood test which have show she has a good liver kidneys and lungs for her age, and he has graded the murmur as 2, she is a very laid back dog which i think has help her, she seems to have settled quite well today and with the water pills and heart pills too i think this is what is subdueing her.what concerns me is the long term, i would not like to think of her suffering in any way, she has been too good a friend and conpanion for that, she is with me day and night as i am a disable person.But thank you for all your kind words of surport and kindness i really appriciate them at this time.
2007-08-05 02:32:46 · update #1
i had a king charles cavalier with a grade 1 heart murmer. they grade them from 1 to 5 according to severity. 1 being least severe. the vet said that she could stay like that for the rest of her life and it wouldnt bother her or she could get more of a murmur and need medication. i think it is a drawback with that breed. like my mum pointed out when i was worried - my gran has always had a heart murmur and she's 87! and in good health .
2007-08-04 21:11:38 · answer #1 · answered by Vickie H 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Heart murmurs are described in levels from 1 to 4 depending on the loudness of sound which relates to amount of blood turbulence. A level one is nothing to worry about. If your dog has a level 3, 4 it is more serous. If the dog's heart begins to fail the vet could prescribe some diuretics. There is some belief that untreated dental problem or just dental problems in general are what cause murmurs to appear suddenly in older dogs. Believe it or not, the teeth affect the heart more than anything else.
The only thing I would suggest is not to let the dog be super active. Keep him cool and comfortable. And just don't overly stress her heart. She's 12. That is a good, mature age for this breed. I hope you have her many more years, but if you do you will see more and more problems related to aging.
2007-08-04 23:47:27 · answer #2 · answered by mama woof 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What grade hear murmur? They vary in severity.
Cavaliers are very prone to heart conditions. At 12 years of age you're lucky really that it's not more than a heart murmur, they conmmonly get congestive heart failure.
Your vet is best to advise you on how to manage the dog's condition. Did they offer you any meds? Did they say what this condition is likely to develop into, if anything?
Heart murmurs in themselves don't have to be a major issue, it's just that they can develop into other things as the heart is now not as productive as it was (weaker). Don't over exercise your dog, stop if she starts to get tired. Cats will rest when they're tired, but I'm afraid dogs often won't! Call the vet if she begins coughing or other symptoms develop. If your dog is at all overweight (most cavvies are) then shifting the excess weight will help both her heart and her joints a great deal.
You need to ring your vet back and address these questions to him/her.
Chalice
2007-08-04 22:18:51 · answer #3 · answered by Chalice 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't have a dog, but I rescued a my cat, from cats protection, bless her no one wanted her because she has a heart murmour.
I felt soooo sorry for her so I took her home, we've had her for 8 months now, and you can't even tell that she's got something wrong with her heart.
She's 6 and can't say that she runs around but she plays when she wants to and when she's had enough she just lays down.
Animals are clever they know when not to push themselves.
I was worried about this as well, and I was told that if you notice that they start acting strange, like the norm when they're ill. Going off food, not responding, then you know that there's something wrong with them. I would encourage maybe short walks instead of long ones, and a healthy diet. I noticed that my cat at times can't be bothered to do anything, so we make sure we give her balenced diet so she doesn't go over weight.
Try not to worry too much, you can always phone your vet for advice, if this makes you feel better i was told that animals with mumours, you may not even know they're ill. Just keep an eye out for any changes.
2007-08-04 21:29:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have Cavaliers too but none have a heart murmur. Although my Cocker Spaniel mix does. She is almost 14 years old and was diagnosed with a heart murmur about a year ago. I haven't noticed any changes with her since she's been diagnosed. She does cough several times a day. But the vet said that it was normal for a dog to cough when they have a heart condition. She is not on any medication for it either. She has also been suffering from Thyroid disease for the past 5 years. She has lost 10 pounds since she was put on the meds for that. The vet says dogs can live for years with a heart murmur. We don't limit her activity either and she is doing well with it. She used to go to work with me to doggy day care with me every day and she loved it. She hung out with all the big dogs. I no longer work there. She goes camping with us at least once a month and she loves it. Her medical conditions hasn't stopped her from having fun. :)
2007-08-04 21:20:13 · answer #5 · answered by Cavalier KCS mom 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The "grade" of the heart murmur is determined by the sound but that has very little to do with the severity of its effect on the dogs health- I just went to a 16th birthday party for a dog wh's heart has been described as an entire textbook! There can even be "atheletic" heart murmers that come from the normal blood flow and are no sign of any heart problem. In themselves a heart murmer is not a sign of impending doom. can think of dogs with murmurs who lived to well in their teens and did many athletic events ( field trials, agility). if they progress in grade or the dog shows shortness of breath, edema, congested sounding coughing, that is a very bad sign.
2007-08-05 00:32:12 · answer #6 · answered by ragapple 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
dog diagnosed heart murmur dog
2016-02-02 04:01:30 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes i do have a dog and yes he has a heart murmer, nothing tio worry about though. its no really uncommon. a lot of times its just a small thing like the heart pushes blood to one part of the body faster. i would be a little more concerned if your dog was a puppy, but since shes 12 years and hasnt suffered from it its probably harmless
2007-08-04 21:10:47 · answer #8 · answered by Jess 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes one of my Old English Sheepdogs was born with one, she leads a quieter life than the other 2 but enjoys it just the same. I keep her weight down and she is not left to race around, she has a slower pace on our walks and likes a rest sometimes. The vet didn't think she would live but she is 6 next month. So my advice to you is, slower and easier and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
2007-08-05 04:29:24 · answer #9 · answered by Roxy. 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
my parents have a female miniature fox terrier who was diagnosed with a heart murmur by the vet who also advised them that she was getting older (14yrs at the time) and would be kind to consider having her put down.She was also very overweight,so they put her on a diet and short walks and shes still going strong now at 17yrs! the vet gave them some tablets for her but she dosnt have them as shes impossible to give tablets to and wont eat them in her food either,i think just like us humans most animals get health complaints when they get older,but still cope allright with a lot of loving.
2007-08-04 21:21:50 · answer #10 · answered by kson 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋