Soft Heart Murmur

[krissy]

Kili has had a murmur since she was quite young. It was missed at her vaccine appointment with the first vet, or wasn't loud enough to be detected at that time. Since she ended up needing surgery I did elect to have an ultrasound done and she has milt mitral regurgitation. She is still able to compete in agility and be a maniac. Not every heart murmur is a big deal but they're not something to just brush off as nothing. Greyhounds are different but they're still dogs and they still get regular dog diseases sometimes.

[GeorgeofNE]

I wouldn't do a think. A heart murmur is very subjective. The person listening to your dog's heart might think they hear something when there really is nothing to hear. Happened to me. A vet told me my last dog had one. Another vet an hour later actually laughed at the suggestion. Told me my dog had the "heart of an athlete" and one of the strongest beats he'd ever heard. First vet was an intern; second vet was not. I took the second vet at his word since no other vet had ever heard this supposed murmur. And no one ever did again!

[Batmom]

I understand that murmurs aren't always insignificant, but a soft murmur in a greyhound with no symptoms of cardiac insufficiency isn't something that I personally would investigate further unless I was considering coursing or breeding. The only thing I might do is check the blood pressure a time or two -- fast, noninvasive, cheap.

 

In greyhounds it's pretty common as George notes for some vets to hear a murmur where others don't. It's also pretty common for puppies to have soft murmurs that disappear as they age.

 

And, if you have a mild murmur but no symptoms, what would you do about it? My vets would counsel keeping an eye out for any symptoms but there would be no treatment and no activity restrictions in a case like that.....

[JJNg]

Nothing wrong with deciding to hold off on further testing and just monitor a soft heart murmur in a dog with no clinical signs. If going that route, I'd suggest rechecking it at least every 6 months, and if it starts to get louder, pursue further workup at that time. Or if the dog needs to go under anesthesia for something, best to check the heart out first.

 

And, if you have a mild murmur but no symptoms, what would you do about it? My vets would counsel keeping an eye out for any symptoms but there would be no treatment and no activity restrictions in a case like that.....

 

There can be heart enlargement and compromised function before there are any symptoms. X-rays or ultrasound can detect those early signs and starting medication can delay the onset of congestive heart failure.

[a_daerr]

Jennifer and Kristie, what are the chances the murmur was caused by his leg infection? And any speculation on how the joint became septic in the first place? My vet seems to think it's pretty rare (especially since it happened over a matter of 2-3 days).

[Guest grey_dreams]

Heart murmurs can be sub-clinical and then all of a sudden they become clinical (i.e., the vets can hear them). Having lost my beloved to CHF that started as a suddenly noticeable, soft heart murmur, I would rather test than not, so that you know exactly what the heart is doing. As Jennifer said, you can start meds earlier to delay onset of CHF. Even if the cardiologist chooses not to start meds yet, you can start beneficial supplements (like CoQ10, antioxidants, carnitine, and taurine) sooner, which can also help delay onset of CHF (Zuki's heart actually improved function with the supplements; later the disease progressed and we had to start meds).

[JJNg]

Jennifer and Kristie, what are the chances the murmur was caused by his leg infection? And any speculation on how the joint became septic in the first place? My vet seems to think it's pretty rare (especially since it happened over a matter of 2-3 days).

 

The only reason I can think of that the murmur would be caused by the leg infection would be if the bacteria went into the bloodstream and infected the heart valves, a condition called endocarditis. However, endocarditis can be very serious and difficult to treat, so if your vet suspects this, I'm surprised they aren't more concerned and recommending further diagnostics (echo, blood cultures, etc). Has Henry had a fever through any of this?

 

Septic joints can come from either external or internal causes. External causes would be some kind of wound penetrating the joint capsule. Internal causes include any infection circulating in the bloodstream, as well as tick-borne diseases. Endocarditis is actually one potential cause of septic joints. Hopefully the aggressive antibiotic therapy will resolve whatever infection(s) he has.