My dog has been diagnosed with a mild heart murmur. Does this mean it is going to get worse over time?
2007-10-16 13:09:48 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
A heart murmmer can be from many causes. This can even be from the heart's normal blood flow and not due to a heart defect at all (this is especally common in atheletic individuals)! Depending on the cause, they can get worse or may not. Fruthermore the grade (loudnesss) of the murmmer is not an indication of the severity of the problem to the dogs health or its chances of a long life.
ALso recall the murmmer is a judgement call on the part of the vet - an expert may not agree with a "family vet" on the existance or not of a murmmer.
2007-10-16 15:25:44 · answer #1 · answered by ragapple 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most likely with age it will. Most vets have a "grade" for every heart murmur. If they called it mild, then you are probably looking at a grade I or II, on a scale of 5-6 (Depending on the doc). If a heart murmur is diagnosed on a puppy then there is a chance that it will go away on its own, however on adult dogs you must be prepared for it to get worse with time, and possibly in the later stages turn into congestive heart failure. Be sure to have your dog go in for annual check ups to listen to his heart, and once he is over 6 yrs, Id recommend going twice a year to make sure you can get on heart medication if needed.
2007-10-16 20:16:53 · answer #2 · answered by doodlebugmeem 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your vet would have been the person to ask this question as he's the one who's examined and diagnosed your dog.
However, mild murmurs are pretty common and should not get worse over time, especially if your dog is well looked after and not allowed to get over-weight.
You really need to ask more questions of your vet, though.
2007-10-16 20:15:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It can go either way. I've had pups with mild murmurs that went away as they matured. I've also have pups with murmurs that stayed the same and one dog whose heart got worse over time.
2007-10-16 20:19:11 · answer #4 · answered by W. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely as your pet ages, yes. Medical therapy can sometimes help your pet, depending on the type of murmur, and any other concurrent disease processes that are going on. Good reason to get your pet seen 1+ times a year!
2007-10-16 20:14:58 · answer #5 · answered by lakotamalik09 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋