My CKCS has arrhythmia, but I hear nothing. Is the vet wrong?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ava Bleu. I recommend following up with a cardiologist. This will help you decide if she needs to be on medications. Approximately 10% of dogs with a heart murmur will progress to heart failure. However, the cardiologist will given you more specifics given her exact condition. I hope this information helps!

Without a full clinical history and especially echo findings it is very difficult to advise further here - HCM is extremely rare in dogs, especially of this age and DCM or mitral valve disease and secondary changes are much more common. Many dogs will have a high blood pressure when being taken due to stress (even more so than people) and in small dogs readings can be very difficult and more than 2 readings would be recommended and after a period of acclimatization to the clinic. Referral for an echo wold be recommended

Hello and thank you for using Pet Coach! Based on the radiograph you attached, the vertebral heart score (VHS) is on the larger measurement and overall the heart does have increased contact with the sternum. There does not appear to be evidence of heart failure, but I am limited with one x-ray view and no ability to adjust the contrast. I don't know what medication your veterinarian started Bono on but in this case, I would recommend starting omega 3 fish oil, Pimobendan (prescription medication that helps delay on the onset of heart failure and helps the heart pump more efficiently). I would also look into heart supplements such as Standard Process Whole Body Support and Cardiac support (if available in your country). Here is an article from my hospital on heart disease and what to look out for. Mitral valve disease is one of the most common heart conditions we see in dogs. I hope this helps and provides you with more information. If you have any concerns, I would reach out to the veterinarian who has been seeing Bono. https://www.neighborhoodvetclinic.com/degenerative-valve-disease-myxomatous-mitral-valve-disease/

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Soren. A heart murmur is due to a leaky valve in the heart allowing blood to flow in the wrong direction. I typically recommend having x-rays taken of the chest to evaluate the heart and lungs. I will a lot of times recommended an ultrasound of the heart knowns as an echocardiogram as well. I refer my patients to a cardiologist for this procedure. Being a young dog, the murmur could be due to a congenital defect. A lot of times, the results are great and the cardiologist informs us that the murmur is nothing that we need to worry about in the future. If there is a concern though, it is best to know about sooner rather than later. I hope this information helps!

I have been practicing veterinary medicine for 17 years and have never experienced or heard of another person hearing their dog’s heartbeat from a few meters away. So the answer to your question, in my opinion, is that this is abnormal. What worries me most is the age of the dog and the fact that she is still young. Puppies her age can be born with congenital heart diseases that can cause significant heart murmurs. A heart murmur is an abnormal sound given off by the heart that is due to abnormal blood flow through the heart. I strongly encourage you to take her to a veterinarian as early as convenient and have the following things done: A complete physical examination including cardiac auscultation, an EKG, and possibly chest x-rays just to make sure that she is OK and that this abnormal loud heartbeat you are hearing is normal. Thank you very much for your question. I hope I have helped. Have a nice day.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Tracker has a heart murmur. Dogs can have heart murmurs for a number of reasons (physiologic murmurs, murmurs due to anemia or low red blood cell count), but the most common cause is due to a structural issue with the heart. This is most often associated with the heart valves. A murmur occurs because the valves aren't functioning properly, causing the blood flow to be more turbulent and produce an audible sound (when ausculted with a stethoscope). An ultrasound of the heart (called an echocardiogram) allows a veterinarian to look at the structure of the heart and determine the degree of dysfunction in any of the valves. Some dogs do not require medication if the structural issues are mild, but if they are severe, your veterinarian may recommend certain medications to help Tracker's heart function the best it can and therefore keep him alive and well as long as possible. I hope this is helpful!

Hi and thanks for posting. This sounds a bit concerning. Something certainly sounds off with Sophi today. In order to get a better idea of what is going on, I would recommend Sophi see her veterinarian very soon. Your vet will do an exam to help pinpoint the issue. Your may recommend diagnostic testing such as blood work or x-rays to further evaluate her so they can help her feel better soon.