Puppy Heart Murmur

[Lu]

I've searched the forums here and can find only very little mention of heart murmur.

I took Ted (nearly 10 weeks) for his new puppy vet check this afternoon and the vet said she could hear a slight murmur, but that she expected it to go away.

The breeder's vet didn't pick this up (10 days ago).  I have informed my breeder: she had never heard of it and was quite shocked and called her vet immediately(still awaiting response).  Just wondered what other breeders or owners might do in our situation.  ( I was shocked that she hadn't heard of it)

Also - my vet didn't mention taking any precautions, but this pup does get quite wound up when we leave the room.  I have been sleeping in his room with him but wanted to move back to my bed tonight (after 5 nights) .I was expecting that he might not be very impressed but that i'd sit it out - but now I'm not sure whether this would put extra strain on the murmur??

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Did she do an EKG or did she just hear it? My son was born with a congenital heart murmur and he did outgrow it after a couple of years. It was never considered "dangerous" and we had him followed by a Cardiologist until it eventually just went away. There were never any restrictions on his physical activity because of it. I'm pretty sure it works the same way with dogs. They will probably just continue to watch it at the regular check-ups.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jane's experience is the same as mine. My daughter had what is called a "functional heart murmur", which the pediatrician said was of no concern and that the only reason he even mentioned it was because if somewhere down the line some other doctor told me about it, i would wonder why he hadn't mentioned it, lol. It did go away on its own. I'm sure this is the same in dogs.
I know the words 'heart murmur" are scary, but there are different kinds of heart murmuirs, and some of them are nothing to worry about. It would appear that your dog's is one of these. I would follow my vet's advice and not worry.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's a link to a good article from Oklahoma State University on different types of heart murmurs in dogs:
http://www.cvhs.okstate.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=v...

Of particular comfort to you will be this:
"There are numerous situations that result in a murmur. Some murmurs are benign and are not associated with any structural heart disease. Other murmurs are caused by abnormal blood flow associated with a variety of cardiac diseases, including abnormal heart valves and different congenital defects.
Soft, “innocent” murmurs are commonly heard in young puppies and kittens. These murmurs are not associated with any cardiac disease and should disappear by approximately four months of age."

[Frannie & Callie]

I have both personal and dog experience with that one! I was born with a heart murmur. Like Jane and Karen experienced with their children, it has no impact whatsoever on any of my daily activities. Bailey, my bassett/lab mix, had a heart murmur which did not really impact her. Of course, she was a typical bassett in terms of energy, so it might just have been hard to tell!

[Carole (*Koda*Monty*Bindi)]

LOL Our beloved Keegan was the exact same way! (and I think the same mix!) You'd never be able to tell that he had such an irregular heartbeat! He had one pace.....slow and steady and cute as a button! He lived a glorious life without being on meds for his heart at all. It had absolutely no impact on his daily activities nor did we limit them. Boy oh boy do I miss that dog.....he lived 14 wonderful years and his passing had absolutely nothing to do with his heart ....but did break ours :(

[Frannie & Callie]

Carole - I love that you had a bassett/lab too (affectionately known in my family as a "blab"). My Bailey had two speeds....slow and asleep! When I first got her, I rushed her to the vet because I thought she slept too much. The vet's response (after a thorough check) was " Frannie - she's a dog. She doesn't have hobbies so she sleeps".

[1xar0x2rcx0li]

Mild murmers are not uncommon and usually outgrown. The breeders vet may have missed it (especially if it was a noise room, they can be hard to hear), or maybe it wasnt there 10 days ago. My vet has had to take a puppy from the normal exam room to his personal office and ask everyone to be quiet and turn off his computer to hear one, so mild ones can be missed due to background noise. Puppies grow so fast and if the heart and values grow at slightly different rates there can be a slight murmer from time to time, but it is outgrown as the dog reaches maturity. We have had 3 murmers in 18 puppies in our young program. All mild and all outgrown. If your vet didnt say to restrict activity then dont worry about it. Just make sure it gets check at your next appointment in a few weeks for the next round of vaccinations.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

A friend of mine on DK experienced the same issue with her puppy - from my same breeder. Murmor went away by the next checkup if I remember correctly. I would not worry too much at this point.

[Penny, Comiskey & Beemer]

My vet heard a murmur in both my dogs....Comiskey was my very first dog in my whole life....and I didn't know about DoodleKisses at that time....the vet heard a murmur.....off to the cardiologist....$350.00 for an echo ....no murmur was detected!....Now along comes our second doodle....Beemer...again the vet heard a murmur.....we did not rush to the cardiologist this time....the next time he was at the vet....no murmur!.....I wouldn't be to concerned....

[Pat & "Tucker"]

As many have said already murmors are very common and may be benign. Some may only be heard in certain positions, so they can be missied. The benign murmors are most often from open pathways ( often called holes) in the heart that were functional before birth and usually close after birth but may take a few months to do so- from patent ductus arteriosis or patent foramen ovale. During that time the murmor is audible. This is why they 'go away'. On the other hand they could be serious and an echocardiogram is the diagnostic test to determine a problem. More serious murmors are often loud and sound "machine lke" - difficult to explainI but the vet can usually tell the difference especially after time. I wouldn't worry about straining the heart- the puppy would compensate if there really is any problem and slow himself down if the heart was taxed.
If it were my dog, I would follow vet direction of course but give it at least 4 months to see if the murmor is still detected before getting an echo. I can see your difficulty - having to worry about a guarantee and being in love with the dog. Some easy signs of distress to watch for - the dog tires easily, has heavy or rapid breathing.at rest. This is difficult because puppies sleep a great deal anyway - so keep an eye on the breathing so you can learn normal breathing from abnormal. Hopefully this is just a temporary murmor which is very common.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

Heart murmurs are fairly common in small puppies. It is also very easy to simulate a murmur; if the vet has the puppy on the table and it is scared and the vet is holding it tightly it can cause the double beat sound. I would have the puppy checked again when it goes for a 6 month check up and at a year. It will likely go away.

[Lu]

Thank you people. He will be having his second vacs next week, so it will be checked again then.