# Heart Murmur Question



## vjones91 (Feb 19, 2009)

My dog was just diagnosed with a heart murmur today. After I left the vets office I thought of a million questions, that are going to have to wait till Monday till the office opens back up. But I do have one question that I am hoping someone might have some experience with. Should I still be exercising my dog the way I did before her diagnosis? We usually take long walks every morning and evening, I am not sure if I should let her rest this weekend, or if exercise might be helpful. She is an older girl, so the walks are usually pretty slow paced, but she still falls behind.

Thanks for any advice, plus if anyone has any other information I need to know on having a dog with a heart murmur, please let me know.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Lots of dogs have heart murmurs and no treatment is very needed. Sometimes it is a big deal and sometimes you just watch and be aware. I have known about Sassy's murmur for about 10 years and only last year has it progressed to a grade 3.

I am no expert but have found a couple markers that indicate 16 year old Sassy has had enough and then I turn around. If she lags, starts really being sniffy or panting a certain way then she needs to go home. I don't think exercise is good for the heart when it is malfunctioning but exercise keeps the body strong and the brain sharper.

Try alternating lengths of walks and use play for exercise as well. If Sassy is lagging I try to stay with her rather than ahead encouraging her to catch up. It seems to help her speed if I don't try to rush her. I got her as an exercise partner but now it seems I am her fitness instructor!


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

My dog was diagnosed with one as a puppy, it is now at a stage 3, he is 6.5 years old. I dont let it stop him. We hike almost every day for 1.5-3 hours. He goes to agility practice few times a week. bike rides anywhere from 5-15kms a few times a week (weather permting) with me, so in short Nope I did nohing to stop his excersise. If he gets tired, he lets me know, and I hardly ever get him to the point, unless we do the 15KM bike ride (which has breaks and swim time too lol) I figure, a dog oly has a good 10-15 years, So Im ging to tr to make hem te bestI can. If she enjoys her walks take her, dont treat her any different, unless it is a very serious heart murmur (as in a 4/5 rating).
Have fun with her and enjoy her. dont think of it as the end of the line for fun activities you two enjoy.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

I too have a foster with a grade 2-3 heart murmur but with him there is no congestion involved (which would cause a swollen heart and compression onthe lungs) his at this point is just a miteral valve issue. if there is congestiona nd your dog shows exercise intolerence then probably just light workouts. If there is no congestion at this point then you can probably exercise like you always have, just don't expect to push his limits as you might have before. Remember cardiovascular exercise is a good thing. 

This article might be helpful

http://www.caninehearthealth.com/

or

http://www.bregorreyglens.co.uk/as.html

or

http://www.vetinfo.com/dmurmur.html


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## jasminesmom (Oct 4, 2009)

My Jasmine had a 4 out of 10 grade heart murmur and she always enjoyed her walks but I did pay attention to her body language and when she would slow down, we headed back home. We went everyday weather permitting.


Cheryl and Angel Jasmine


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## vjones91 (Feb 19, 2009)

I have to ask the vet about her number, when she first listened to her heart she said it was about a 4, but when she did the xray, the heart was not as enlarged as she feared, not sure if that would have made the number go down. I have to figure out what the number is based on. It is hard to tell when Bridgette is getting tired and when she is just stopping to sniff everything.


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## jasminesmom (Oct 4, 2009)

vjones91,

I've been told that Vets can rate a heart murmur on a scale of 1-6 or on a scale 1-10. Seems to me there should be a defined scale that all Vets should use. It's all very confusing to me.

It was obvious to me when Jas would get tired-she would just stop and sit there until I picked her up. This occured mainly during the hot summer months. Right now it's in the 60's-her kind of weather and I miss having her around.

Cheryl and Angel Jasmine


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## vjones91 (Feb 19, 2009)

I do remember the vet saying 4 out of six, because when she said 4, I did ask out of what. Bridgette does not have enough sense to sit down when she is tired, I love her, but she is just not that insightful. She has arthritis and on bad days when she can hardly get up, she will still head up to the walking trail as soon as I take her outside for a bathroom break and I will have to bring her back. 

Jasminesmom- I am very sorry for you loss, she was definitely a cutie from the photo.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

You need more diagnostics to understand WHY there is a murmur.

Some are innocent, some are indicators of a deadly condition. If this is a younger dog, I would suggest you go for a doppler echocardiography so that the precise reason for the murmur can be determined.


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## vjones91 (Feb 19, 2009)

Redyrerottweilers- She is not a young girl, around ten years old now. I had her to the vet about six months ago and she had no heart murmur-or one that was not detected. I got the impression from the vet that it should just be treated without any more investigating the reason- maybe I should push for more tests to determine exactly what is going on, especially if the medicine does not help.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

vjones91 said:


> Redyrerottweilers- She is not a young girl, around ten years old now. I had her to the vet about six months ago and she had no heart murmur-or one that was not detected. I got the impression from the vet that it should just be treated without any more investigating the reason- maybe I should push for more tests to determine exactly what is going on, especially if the medicine does not help.


I see I see, a dog that age I would approach as you are then, with meds, and do talk to your vet about exercise and if you should restrict or not.

Hope it is minor and you have many more happy years with her.


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## jasminesmom (Oct 4, 2009)

vjones91,

Jasmine was on Enalapril. The vet who caused/created Jasmine's problem(s) took her off when kidney failure was diagnosed but you could feel her little heart beating so hard. When I changed vets and we knew the end was eminent, he put her back on and her heart rate got better.
Keep us informed.
We are here to listen.

Cheryl and Angel Jasmine


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