UPDATE heart murmur? anyone have any experience or updates?

[Mary, Scrappy, Sully and Olive]

Grover, who will be 4 in a couple of weeks, went to the vet last night for an ear infection.  Unfortunately the vet thinks he hears a heart murmur.  We have an appointment on Monday with a cardiologist for a consult and an echo-cardiogram.  He also has a strange cough on occasion and he's been kind of mopey lately ......both symptoms that could mean just about anything I guess(allergies?), but the vet thought checking the murmur would be prudent.

I searched the forum for heart murmur discussions and I noticed a couple.  Just wondering if anyone can give me advice or for those of you who have doodles with murmurs...can you update me on their health and progress? 

The hardest part for me will be leaving him at the hospital I think.  Hopefully, the cardiologist will find nothing and I'll be thrilled that my vet was wrong! Although I know there are much worse conditions, I still hate to think about losing any precious time with either of my two doodles.

Thanks for any advice. 

UPDATE:

Just wanted to thank everyone for the kind words.  After a very long day, Grover was diagnosed with a mild heart murmur.  He should be fine, I just have to figure out how not to worry about him;)

It was an extremely long day, as the cardiologist is actually a traveling cardiologist and no one knows when he'll show up.  They ask you to check in at  8am, then tell you that they've never seen the doctor there before 3pm before.  I refused to have Grover crated for 8 hours, thought that would be the worst part for him,  so I chose to stay with him and we hung around all day in the waiting room.  What a horrible policy they have...won't let you take the dog back later in the day when the doctor calls in because he could say I'll be there in 2 hours or in 10 minutes...if you don't make it back, of course he won't wait. Doctor sneaks in at 3:20 today, makes no attempt to meet with me before or after the 5 minute echo, even though I requested a consult....he passes the diagnosis off to a very nice ER doctor who then answered all my questions, while he snuck back out.  Now I know how busy he must be, but can I tell you that I actually went to high school with the jerk and never even had the opportunity to say hello to him....and it's a very small hospital...which is probably good because after 7 hours of waiting, I wasn't in the best of moods.

I also know that I could have left at any time....it was just very important to get the diagnosis as soon as I could to ease my mind.

Needless to say that if Grover needs further treatments, we won't be going to that particular animal hospital.

Just glad it's done and grateful it's wasn't a worse diagnosis:)

Thanks again to everyone for the well wishes and happy thoughts:)

[F, Calla & Luca]

I hope things turn out fine with Grover. First to need to see if he actually has a murmur and then if he does, whether it has any significance.

[Mary, Scrappy, Sully and Olive]

Thanks Andrea...it's good to know that if it is anything, he'll still be with us for many years to come:)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Mary, I hope this turns out to be nothing for Grover. Fingers and paws crossed here.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Grover is just gorgeous. I hope the test prove that he is just fine! Such a worry when vets or docs give possible conditions, but better than letting something serious pass. Best of luck to all of you.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Mary, I hope it turns out there is nothing seriously wrong with Grover. I would not worry until you find out what, if anything, is wrong. I do agree it's a good idea to see the cardiologist and have the test done.

Those symptoms you mentioned are not typical of allergies, but as you said, could really be from many things, or nothing.

Fingers and paws crossed here for a good report on Monday. We will be thinking of you and Grover.

[L.M.]

Unfortunately, I know nothing about heart murmurs in dogs,  but my fingers are crossed for handsome Grover. Like everyone else said, take one day at a time and let's hope that it's nothing!  Best of luck! 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Mary, I am so sorry your are going through this worry with Grover.  You are smart to get it checked out and I am hoping it is either nothing or not a big deal.

[Sally]

Duncan has a heart murmur. Its' considered low grade (2 out of 6) they noticed it about a year and a half ago. He was about 2. He seems totally fine. We are supposed to just get annual sonograms of his heart to monitor it. He is not a high energy dog so it's always something i think about....Is he sluggish because it's warm out,or is he tired or is it the murmur?

But i have yet to see any real signs of distress. I have also heard lots of stories of dogs who really are totally unaffected by this. Let's hope if Grover does have one it's low grade too...

[Mary, Scrappy, Sully and Olive]

Hi Sally,

thank you so much for telling me about Duncan.  Grover is not high energy either and now he's got me thinking..... all this time we thought he was just a really mellow and layed back kind of dood, it's been something else...hmmm....trying not to go there yet though.

[Mary, Scrappy, Sully and Olive]

A great big thanks to everyone for your support:)  As many of you suggested....one thing at a time.  Hoping it's nothing and not trying to look too far ahead.  You've all truly made me feel much better today!

I'm just glad that they gave us the appointment so soon, because I'd drive myself crazy with worry over something that I don't know for sure about yet.

I will keep you all posted and thanks from both Grover and I...as well as his bossy older doodle sister, Scrappy...who would hate to have to be extra nice to him and not bite his back legs constantly, just because he was sickly, lol 

( THE Grover, may I add.....who was the 2011 Doodle Country Store calendar Cover Boy AND Mr August 2011......still he remains so humble and down to earth;)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Grover is a handsome Dood....of course he's a "calendar boy".  I have no info on heart murmurs, but will keep positive thoughts.  Please let us know how your visit with the cardiologist goes.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Awww poor Grover, I know you are worried as most of us would be.  You are doing everything that you can for Grover, I had a Shih Tzu with a heart murmur, she was a fantastic dog and lived a very wonderful 15 years.   I'm keeping my paws crossed that everything turns out OK for you and Grover !!