# Heart murmur



## Huntsmansjoy (Oct 28, 2013)

Hi fellow Vizsla owners!

This is my first post as a proud owner of a very handsome hound.

Today my vizsla, "Hunter" had his second set of vaccinations as a 10 week old pup. At his first visit to the vet she intimated he may have a murmur but today this has been confirmed, referred to as a grade 5.

Of course I've since researched more about murmurs and have been devastated to read the severity of this and the implications it will likely have on our new family member. As per the vets advise I contacted the breeder who confirmed no history of any pups EVER having any kind of heart defect. They were genuinely upset to learn of this and have already confirmed they are more than happy to take him back and provide a full refund.

The problem is, as you may appreciate, this lil dog has been with us now for 3 weeks and thus has already formed close relationships with myself, wife and 3 kids.

It's an awful scenario and before even considering having to give him up, are planning to have an EKG scan to determine the severity of the condition. However, as a new owner of this beautiful breed, I would really appreciate any of your views on the matter and, hopefully, success stories of any other little pups who have lived long normal life's after a similar start in life.

Thanks for reading

Stuart


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

Welcome to the forum, huntsmansjoy! You aren't alone with your pup having a murmur. Right around the 10-12 week mark our vet informed us that she believed she heard a murmur with our Haeden, as well. Our vet describes it as a "swish" or "swoosh" sound of the blood flowing through the heart due to a valve not fully closing while the heart beats. Originally his murmur was graded a 2 but now is graded at a 1- faint but still there.

Our vet was very cautious to let us know that people and dogs can have a "functional murmur" where it exists but doesn't impact quality of life or day-to-day, or it can be something that requires surgery/medication depending on the cause. (She was able to make us feel better by telling us that her 2 year old daughter was born with a murmur herself and it's something that are able to work with). It seems that our boy has a functional murmur, however, we have yet to do an EKG for him yet as our vet has let us know it isn't something we need to do immediately due to the low grade. Eventually (after our wedding next year) we will have it done and see exactly how the blood flows through his heart and where the issues lies.

Due to the higher grade of Hunter's murmur I would definitely do an EKG to see where the problem is stemming from in his heart. Our vet let us know that there are different surgeries that can be done by a veterinary cardiologist to attempt to fix the issue or reduce the strain on the heart if that is the route one needs to take for their dog. Occasionally the murmur can start to resolve itself as the pup grows and gets older but an EKG with a higher rated murmur is your best bet. Until you know what the cause is you cannot change anything so try to remind yourself of that. Monitor his activity and make note of anything odd happening with him.

When I contacted our breeder about Haeden's murmur they too told us that they hadn't had any prior history of it with their dog. We confirmed with our vet that most (not all) murmurs are not genetic but are specific to the dog's development which I also relayed to our breeder since it was a learning process for us all about this. Originally I was quite upset to hear that there was something wrong with my brand new puppy and his heart, but as I learned more and more I started to understand that it was specific to my pup and it's something that he can live with. After a year and a half he's as healthy as a horse, never had a single problem with his health aside from a case of demodectic mange. We monitor his murmur and the vet checks it every time he's in to see her (including a good listen when he was neutered a few months back) to ensure that it hasn't become any more severe or anything has changed. Try to stay positive and see what the results of the EKG are before getting too upset or consulting with your breeder about giving him back. There's absolutely a possibility of Hunter being able to live a happy, healthy live with his murmur- just try to remember that as you go through the next steps.

PS- share some pictures of Hunter with us! We all can use a puppy fix


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

4 of my Pointers had heart Murmurs

They were checked yearly and all 3 of the 4 lived long productive hunting caring lives

that enriched my life and my daughters each of them 

I was Proactive in there care Yes 

they hunted hard and they were great Pointers 

and the one that passed early was not due to this concern posted 

He breached the Ice I feared after a duck and drowned

I could not reach my Skipper :'( but He had a very great life and hunted over 100 lads 

and I was born with one as well


I just hook up to my dual battery's in my Super duty 4x4 V 10

and Tell Jenn hit it turn the key 

and reset all of me ;D

A Cardio nightmare when your just having fun with the Cables in your teeth ;D

the White coats have little humor to me :-[


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## Huntsmansjoy (Oct 28, 2013)

Thanks for responding, it's great to read positive stories about other vizsla's living long prosperous lives with a murmur. 

If Hunters murmur was a grade 3 or below I would be less concerned and feel the only choice we have to engage a cadio specialist and arrange an EKG ASAP to determine what needs to be done.

I'll keep you all posted, thanks again!


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## VictoriaW (Mar 16, 2011)

Huntsmansjoy,

So very sorry about your pup. The test that you need is an echocardiogram. Gracie had one done last May. The test is noninvasive and at least in her case it did not require anesthesia. The echo should allow the cardiologist to pinpoint what is going on.

Grade 5, as you know, is a pretty serious murmur. Was this your pup's first exam with your vet? Did the vet who gave him his first set of shots notice anything? In our case Gracie's grade 1 murmur was caught at 7 weeks.

Different heart defects have very different prognoses. I'd get the test done ASAP so that you can better gauge what you are dealing with and hopefully get Hunter the care he needs.

In our high cost vet market (Eastern MA), the echocardiogram ran close to $400. Maybe your breeder would help with that cost (especially if you agreed that you would not then try to recoup the full price of the pup on top of the pricey test)?

Gracie's murmur looks pretty good. She is "equivocal for subaortic stenosis" but does not require any intervention at this time. We did decide not to show & breed her after seeing the results, as even dogs with mild variations can sometimes throw pups with more severe disease. 

Wishing you lots of luck. I have three kids, too, so I understand that part of your equation. Take care.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

I had a Weimaraner with a heart murmur, diagnosed at 10 weeks of age, and was prescribed vetmedin tablets which my petplan payed for,I was told to look out for a cough as the heard enlarges and presses against the lungs, he never developed the cough and lived to the ripe old age of 11 years, sadly dying 30 months ago and breaking my heart....never give up on your dog, Harvey had a fantastic and full life...even surviving gastric torsion....I miss him every minute of the day......
but Darcy the loony keeps us all going.. ;D 
PS....Harveys murmur was grade 3 all his life and never increased..


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## Ksana (Mar 30, 2013)

Huntsmansjoy said:


> Hi fellow Vizsla owners!
> 
> This is my first post as a proud owner of a very handsome hound.
> 
> ...


Hi Stuart: He did not receive Trifexis, did he? I just posted a warning/ news about this oral pill.


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## Huntsmansjoy (Oct 28, 2013)

Hi Ksana

No he never.


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## VictoriaW (Mar 16, 2011)

Huntsmansjoy, any news?


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## Huntsmansjoy (Oct 28, 2013)

Hi Victoria

Thanks for your concern, we've now had the scan and I posted an update in a separate thread "Hunters Scan Result"


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