My dog has a heart murmur. What are the next steps for treatment?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Tracker has a heart murmur. Dogs can have heart murmurs for a number of reasons (physiologic murmurs, murmurs due to anemia or low red blood cell count), but the most common cause is due to a structural issue with the heart. This is most often associated with the heart valves. A murmur occurs because the valves aren't functioning properly, causing the blood flow to be more turbulent and produce an audible sound (when ausculted with a stethoscope). An ultrasound of the heart (called an echocardiogram) allows a veterinarian to look at the structure of the heart and determine the degree of dysfunction in any of the valves. Some dogs do not require medication if the structural issues are mild, but if they are severe, your veterinarian may recommend certain medications to help Tracker's heart function the best it can and therefore keep him alive and well as long as possible. I hope this is helpful!

I'm very sorry Brooklyn has a heart murmur! Unfortunately, medication is the only option in animal heath for heart disease. Surgery is not done in dogs with heart problems, and some dogs will respond better to the medical treatment than others. The best thing you can do is give Brooklyn his medications as prescribed and have him seen by a vet right away with any questions or concerns.

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.

Hello. I would need to know a little more information about Walter's heart first, such as with an x-ray & ECG, but if he is not coughing, there are no crackles or wheezing in his chest, he seems to have good energy, & appetite is normal, then no, I would not necessarily put him on any medication. But I would recommend rechecking chest radiographs in 6-12 months. I would also recommend doing a NT-proBNT test. If the results are high, then Walter may be at risk for actually developing congestive heart failure, & treatment with pimobenden is indicated. A low to normal NT-proBNP, I would not start any medications yet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

A murmur is the sound of abnormal blood flow through the heart. It is not an indication of function. The next step would be to have an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) performed on Molly. This would assess cardiac architecture as well as function. An echo can be done by your veterinarian and then submitted to a veterinary cardiologist for review or you can schedule it directly with a specialist. Afterwards, medications would be dispensed if indicated. Life expectancy would be determined by the severity of her condition. This could be discussed with the veterinarian after results of the echo are returned.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ava Bleu. I recommend following up with a cardiologist. This will help you decide if she needs to be on medications. Approximately 10% of dogs with a heart murmur will progress to heart failure. However, the cardiologist will given you more specifics given her exact condition. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A grade 4 heart murmur is loud for such a young dog. He should have a chest X-ray, heart worm test and an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) with a cardiologist to diagnosis what is causing the heart murmur. Then you can be provided a prognosis and treatment plan. These tests can be expensive. X-rays cost over $100 and the echocardiogram costs around $4-500. Medications cost depends on what his diagnosis is as does life expectancy. I would see if the rescue can get these done for you prior to adoption. Good luck!