Guest whatahound Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I took Nikki (7 years old)to the vet this morning for a routine physical and heart worm test. The vet called me a few hours later and said that she was very concerned about Nikki's heart. (Heart Arrhythmia) The doctor wanted to do an EKG and chest xray and said she would call me back. 40 minutes later she called and said that her EKG was perfect and thought she was just very nervous from being at the vet's office. When she first examined her it was right after her blood draw and said she was abit freaked out. They took her for a walk and let her relax for awhile and she seemed better. They did not do a chest xray after all. Nikki does not lag behind on walks, she always keeps up with her younger brother. I'll keep a close eye on her. Is there anyone who has experienced a similar problem? Any ideas of things I should watch for? Thanks in advance for any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey14me Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I think it's common for greys to be misdiagnosed with heart issues...I think vets aren't used to how large their hearts are for one thing. Does your vet see a lot of greyhounds? Quote Michelle...forever missing her girls, Holly 5/22/99-9/13/10 and Bailey 8/1/93-7/11/05 Religion is the smile on a dog...Edie Brickell Wag more, bark less :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicocat Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 I found a pretty good article online that relates to the dfferences in the greyhound heart. Heart News - CGNM Website Quote Ann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemandvm Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Was the heart rate just fast? If the EKG was normal it may well not have been an arrhythmia at all... it may have just sounded fast b/c she was stressed. You'll have to ask your vet what he thought he heard that made him want to work it up in the first place. Quote Bill Lady Bella and Sky at the bridge "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anabele France Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest whatahound Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 (edited) I think it's common for greys to be misdiagnosed with heart issues...I think vets aren't used to how large their hearts are for one thing. Does your vet see a lot of greyhounds? The regular vet does see a lot of greyhounds, but she is out on maternity leave and one of the fill ins was there on Friday. There are 3 different vets that are coming in for her ,one of them has a greyhound but she was not there either. I saw the EKG print out and the vet said that it looked perfect. Normally Nikki does not freak out at the vet but yesterday as soon as I opened the door to go in she started backing up. There were no other dogs in the waiting area so I not sure what spooked her.(Maybe a smell) Thanks so much for the responses, the article was very good. I feel a lot better now, but I will still keep a close eye on her. She is used to taking long walks and never has a problem. I'm sure if there are any changes I would notice them right away. THANKS AGAIN !!! Was the heart rate just fast? If the EKG was normal it may well not have been an arrhythmia at all... it may have just sounded fast b/c she was stressed. You'll have to ask your vet what he thought he heard that made him want to work it up in the first place. It was very fast and irregular. Edited June 16, 2007 by whatahound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfish Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 When Jim went to the cardiologist I was told it was normal (as in 'medically unimportant) for them to have sinus arrythmia. That's when the heartbeat gets bumpy at the peak of the inhalation and settles again as they breathe out. I wonder if that's what he heard and it was more pronounced than usual because she was nervous and her heart rate was up? Quote The plural of anecdote is not dataBrambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamborine Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 When Jim went to the cardiologist I was told it was normal (as in 'medically unimportant) for them to have sinus arrythmia. That's when the heartbeat gets bumpy at the peak of the inhalation and settles again as they breathe out. Some of my dogs have had a sinus arrythmia, too. It's usually just a normal variation, and not indicative of any problems. Quote Maryann, Bama (TW Beltram), Stephanie (Tom's Stepinhi) & Henderson the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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