My puppy has a machinery murmur. What does it mean for his future?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your potential new puppy. Young puppies can occasionally have what is known as an innocent murmur. This is a heart murmur they will outgrow usually by 6 months of age and is not associated with any ongoing disease. Other murmurs are associated with congenital heart disease and go on to cause the puppy significant disease. I recommend having the puppy evaluated by a board certified veterinary cardiologist. A procedure known as an echocardiogram will likely be needed to assess for any structural heart disease. This will give you the longterm prognosis for the puppy. I hope this information helps!

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Soren. A heart murmur is due to a leaky valve in the heart allowing blood to flow in the wrong direction. I typically recommend having x-rays taken of the chest to evaluate the heart and lungs. I will a lot of times recommended an ultrasound of the heart knowns as an echocardiogram as well. I refer my patients to a cardiologist for this procedure. Being a young dog, the murmur could be due to a congenital defect. A lot of times, the results are great and the cardiologist informs us that the murmur is nothing that we need to worry about in the future. If there is a concern though, it is best to know about sooner rather than later. I hope this information helps!

I would try not to get too worked up until you figure out exactly what is going on. Some dogs have heart murmurs at young ages but commonly will grow out of them. I would try to see what could be causing the murmur and see what they recommend. If they recommend something you cannot afford, ask them to give you other options that are within your budget. If Darwin is really active and acting like a puppy, he likely isn't bothered by his heart murmur. I would be hesitant to put him under anesthesia without a full cardiac echo (ultrasound) to find out exactly where the heart murmur is coming from. I hope this helps and I hope there is nothing too serious with that sweet baby's heart!

Most puppies with grade 1 heart murmurs have these due to physiologic changes that they grow out of. However, there are some heart conditions that can start as a grade 1 murmur which can progressively worsen over time. Odds are in your favor that Nelson would grow out of this murmur and that it is insignificant. There is always that off chance that he has a more severe condition. Consider asking the breeder to include progression of heart disease (indicated by a worsening murmur) in the contract, in that if it does progress, you could return Nelson (unless you believe that you will get too attached). This is not an easy decision without a definitive right or wrong answer.

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

This is common and generally they do grow out of it. Norwich Terriers are not at high risk for heat disease. I don't know of any statistics on this. If the murmur persists a grade 1/6 is very mild and would not require treatment. Generally a grade 3 or higher may need medication to improve the heart function and reduce fluid in the lungs. Most dogs with heart murmurs live long lives with minimal issues. Personally I would adopt the puppy anyway as I would not expect it to progress or effect the dogs quality of life. To be safe you may want another veterinarian to examine the pup and listen also. It's always a good idea to get a second opinion. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.