Can my dog with a heart murmur be safely spayed or neutered?

In a young puppy, birth defects are always a strong suspicion and a specialist ultrasound by a cardiologist really is the best option. This will help to determine the actual site and type of heart problem and is the only way to diagnose what is going on. A definitive diagnosis will guide the most appropriate management with regards to surgery or medication as well as providing information on long term prognosis and likely consequences as he gets older. Most heart murmurs do not require medical treatment nor do they exclude the possibility of general anesthesia although careful planning and monitoring is recommended throughout any procedures

Denzel is adorable! Since he has had 12 years of exposure to testosterone, neutering him at this point will not decrease his existing prostate enlargement. Anesthesia with a louder heart murmur can be slightly more high risk, but can still be performed in many cases after a cardiologist evaluation with an echocardiogram and cautious anesthetic monitoring. Consider discussing the risks vs. benefits of neutering Denzel at this point with your vet, but it is unlikely to change his prostate issue. I hope that all goes well!

So sorry to hear that Aubree is having this issue. I would recommend you get a second opinion with a veterinary cardiologist. There are many heart issues where the dog can have the spay surgery safely. Your vet may not be comfortable performing the surgery but a specialist may. You need to know exactly what the heart issue is and how serious it is. Before you get too worried I would do that. I hope that helps. Best wishes!

Only her vet can determine if it's safe to spay Lucky or not. There are senior dogs that can have surgery safely, but heart problems add an additional risk. Speak to her vet about the risks. I hope this helps.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Just because he has a heart murmur does not mean he cannot go under anesthesia. There are also other methods such as using a local anesthetic to numb the area and removing it while he is awake if the heart is that much of a concern. Special precautions are taken wi dogs that have a heart murmur and need anesthesia. I have placed many dogs with heart murmurs under anesthesia and have never had any complications. I've even done my fair share of patients in congestive heart failure under anesthesia and they have done well. I would discuss with you vet the other options to remove this besides anesthesia if you are uncomfortable putting him under. You can also discuss freezing the cyst with your vet. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there! A murmur just means an abnormal sound was detected when the vet listened to the heart with his/her stethoscope - it can be caused by many different things. The most common heart problems in dogs that could cause a heart murmur would include valvular insufficiency (a "leaky" mitral valve, usually), aortic or pulmonic stenosis (narrowing of the opening to the aorta or pulmonary artery), or dilated cardiomyopathy, in which the heart becomes stretched out and doesn't contract strongly anymore. Most of the heart problems we see in veterinary medicine are not correctable by surgery, and open-heart surgery of the type that is done on humans is not done in veterinary patients - so unfortunately this isn't an option. To determine what is causing the murmur and see if any treatment is needed, I would recommend talking to your veterinarian about chest x-rays and an ultrasound of the heart, called an echocardiogram. These tests are needed to diagnose the specific problem that is causing the murmur, and will guide treatment decisions from there depending on what is found.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No, these are not typically performed in animals. Heart murmurs do not always require therapy but when they do, these are most of the time treated with medications. I highly recommend you consider having Murphy evaluated by a veterinary cardiologist to determine if treatment is needed and what would be best for it. Good luck!