Heart Murmur-Keeper

 Ziva had/has a heart murmur - grade one.  When it was discovered when Z was about a year old the vet said it was likely congenital and of no real concern.

With a grade 1 murmur, the vet said I needn't restrict activity or worry about a shorter lifespan, just have it checked every year at her annual exam.

 The only thing the vet said that I would have to concern myself with is surgeries. They use an injection to put dogs out for surgery and he told me I would need to find a vet that uses gas when it comes time to neuter him or have any kind of surgery.

 Huh - if I can remember I'll ask my vet about heart murmurs at Z's annual (the 19th).  Seems like there's got to be more to it.

A heart murmur is a 'flutter' in the valves as the blood is pushed from one chamber to another -- it's an inefficiency (the heart isn't pushing the blood from one chamber to another as it really should). 

Grade 2 is very low.  Billy made it all the way thru treatment for IMHA and then the week AFTER he got off all the drugs finally -- SUDDENLY he had a grade FOUR murmur.  Color me worried sick.

We've gotten it reduced to a grade 3 but there it stays.  We do a whole lot holistically (hawthorn berry, a cardiac support supplement, etc.) to help it not worsen.

Heart murmurs can mysteriously appear ... and sometimes disappear.  Sometimes they stay and stay the same.  They *can* worsen.

It's a dog you don't want to push exercise-wise.  This is NOT a dog to do agility wtih or any other sport.  I wouldn't encourage a dog with a murmur to play hard at all.  Nor would I even go to a dog park. 

Exercise is fine in small doses but you don't want to push the heart hard.  You can have a murmur your whole life long and not have it be life threatening.

 This is nothing to cry about -- but whoever takes him on permanently should know this and be prepared to take care of it for his entire life.  It will need some monitoring and it will need some supplementation to keep it minimal (and a grade 2 IS minimal).

Billy's had this grade 3 murmur for 2 years 1/2 now.  He's fine.  You'd never know.  But I *do* have a full heart workup done on him every 6 months.  (if it was a 2 I might not do it that frequently but he's 11, and I hope to keep him as healthy as possible (remember this dog nearly died four years ago from IMHA).

IN the realm of serious stuff that can happen to a dog it's not huge.  It's not *nothing* but it's not huge.  It's maintainable. 

Maybe grade 2 is significantly different than grade one, but our vet specifically said Z did not need to be kept from doing agility or SAR (she was just starting SAR at the time); there were literally *no* restrictions on her activity.   Sounds like a question for your vet since he knows the specifics about Keeper's situation.

I've always been told to seek the advise of a canine cardiologist and get a cardiac ultrasound exam done.  This is probably one of the best exams he could get but I'd assume it's pricey.

 Im the one taking this on!!

Oh gosh. I need to limit his exercise? This is an Irish Setter we're talking about! 

I wouldn't stress over it too much just yet.  Some puppies develop murmurs, & then they resolve themselves with time.  Cher had a grade II murmur when I got her.  At the time, it was the least of my worries, so I just let it go until I had a handle on her skin.  At her one month recheck, she still had the murmur.  By her two month recheck, it had resolved itself.  She has since been holtered, & had an echo just to make sure that everything looks ok, but that was done for my peace of mind.  The cardiologist who did her echo said that, while heart murmurs in puppies are not normal, it does happen, & it usually isn't that big of a deal.

Personally, even if I knew that one of my dogs had a heart issue that could be life threatening, I would not limit their activity.  I would let them decide what they could & could not handle.  I would prefer my dogs enjoy their life, even if it might be shortened some, than live a longer, less fufilled life. 

Remember to let your breeder know that there is an issue.  It is definitely something that they should be concerned with.

BEVOLASVEGAS

Personally, even if I knew that one of my dogs had a heart issue that could be life threatening, I would not limit their activity.  I would let them decide what they could & could not handle.  I would prefer my dogs enjoy their life, even if it might be shortened some, than live a longer, less fufilled life

And that's going to be completely individual.  First, that's Billy I'm talking about and he's NOT what you'd call "physical" (sorry I'm laughing here).  Second, I don't *have* physical dogs because it's just not something I can do -- Tink's full of it but she's a bracheocephalic breed and I'm all the time getting her in the house so she doesn't over-heat.

Some folks can't imagine life without being able to be fully active -- and I can't imagine a life that IS ... neither is wrong, it's just what works for you.

Amanda's right tho -- heart murmurs are totally unpredictable -- some come and go and stay gone ... others don't.  And this could well be a juvenile thing that will just go away. There's really no telling.

However -- also be aware, "grading" a heart murmur is VERY subjective.  Vet A,. Vet B and Vet C can all examine the same dog, same day, same manner -- and one will grade a 2, one a 2 1/2, and the third maybe a 1 1/2.  Or they might all agree on a 2.  It's just VERY subjective on what they "hear"

For my personal heart murmur they were more concerned with what was causing it than that it was there.  They tested me out and once they decided it wasn't a serious problem they then told me that I could do whatever activities I wanted.  Obviously, you need to work within your fitness level.  And, I could have dentals without antibiotics. 

They had me go back a few times because it took them awhile to realize you can only hear mine when I'm laying down. 

But, as was already said I wouldn't panic, just get it looked into to make sure the cause isn't something that needs to be treated.  But, most likely it's genetic and not going to need anything. 

Of course, this is just my experience.  I'm the opposite of Keeper in that I never had it when I was younger.  But, developed it later on.