krissy Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 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. Quote Kristie and the Apex Agility Greyhounds: Kili (ATChC AgMCh Lakilanni Where Eagles Fly RN IP MSCDC MTRDC ExS Bronze ExJ Bronze ) and Kenna (Lakilanni Kiss The Sky RN MADC MJDC AGDC AGEx AGExJ). Waiting at the Bridge: Retired racer Summit (Bbf Dropout) May 5, 2005-Jan 30, 2019 Like us on Facebook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 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! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 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..... Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 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. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 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). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grey_dreams Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 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). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 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. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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