ShellyBeggs Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I know nothing about this..... my dog has just been diagnosed with a grade 3 heart murmer.....what is it and what can be done? I have googled and it wasn't very helpful, lots of gloom and doom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fit for a King Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 How old is your dog and what breed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyBeggs Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 8 month old Aussie..... He is Aniken in my sig... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I googled heart murmurs recently, too, and it wasn't easy to get much easy-to-understand information . Can you speak to the vet again on the phone? Just say you didn't take in all the information and write down any questions you may have. My understanding is that a heart murmur can have different causes (born with or related to an illness) and so different outcomes??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyBeggs Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 Thanks Poodle Wrangler....good idea! What I did get was that he thinks it sounds like he has a sticky valve, so it stays open after the beat allowing blood to flow back into the chamber. Without a ultrsound he can't be 100% sure but he is 95% sure that is what it is, claims to be obvious to hear. This would be a 'from birth' thing.... I just can't find anything to do with what the grade 3 means (other than the grades are 1-6 so he is in the middle) and what his life expectancy is etc.... I also don't know if medication/operation can help etc.... I have read that there can be different types of murmers and I am not sure how this fits in with my poor bubba......or even if he is in pain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonasche Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Shelly, Grade 3 is classed as a moderately loud heart murmur. There are different types of murmurs, maybe a trip to a specialist vet would be in order for Aniken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Just to tell you of a non doom & gloom story I raised a litter of pups for someone once, and I took them for their vaccinations at 8 weeks, the pick of the litter had a very audible murmur, I could easily hear it myself with my crappy stethescope! Anyway, 2 Vets listened , I asked if it may be an "innocent murmur" (ie one that the pup grows out of)........They both agreed this pup would likely have Patent Ductus, which is very serious & causes death by 12 months unless heart surgery is done, and it could not possibly "grow out of it". I left it to the owners of the litter to decide what to do, and they decided to do nothing & take the pup to the next heart clinic.......The pup was CLEARED by the Specialist...........So this very loud murmur DID actually disappear on its own, at approx 9 months of age............... You really cant act unless a Cardiologist sees your dog, that is what I would do asap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I know nothing about this.....my dog has just been diagnosed with a grade 3 heart murmer.....what is it and what can be done? I have googled and it wasn't very helpful, lots of gloom and doom! Which State are you from? There may be a Heart clinic coming up near you somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidoney Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Shaula was diagnosed with a murmur (age related) earlier this year (by a locum), but on checking recently, a different vet said she would not have diagnosed it and her heart sounded fine. I agree with the "get further info" advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Heart murmurs are in no way painful. Depending on severity, he could have less tolerance for exercise or breathlessness when he exerts himself rather than any pain. He might not even have this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyBeggs Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 Which State are you from? There may be a Heart clinic coming up near you somewhere. I am in Victoria...... How do I find out about the heart clinic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanglen Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 There is only 1 cardialogist in Victoria at present, Dr Fiona Campbell, she attends every second wednesday at the Veterinary Referral Centre in Hallam. There are multiple other internal medicine specialists or imaging people who would do the echo but she is very good and very nice! If you want further details I can PM you! regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 "Grade III" is a description only of what the murmur sounds like - it does have a direct relationship to the cause or the prognosis. The "loudness" (Grade) does not neccessarily reflect the severity - small defects may cause a lot of noise due to increased turbulence of the blood, and conversely large defects may only cause a soft murmur etc. The only way to tell for sure what is causing the murmur is to have echocardiography done, and if you are concerned, I would second the suggestion of having the pup examined by a cardiologist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 There is only 1 cardialogist in Victoria at present, Dr Fiona Campbell ... My understanding is that Dr. Russell Mitten at Werribee Veterinary Hospital (Melbourne University) is a canine heart specialist. Is that different to a cardiologist? I took my girl to him when I had cause for concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 It's a technicality Erny Russell Mitten is a Diplomate in radiology but is very well known for his expertise in cardiology and respiratory medicine. Fiona Campbell is a Diplomate in Cardiology - so is technically a cardiologist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 There is only 1 cardialogist in Victoria at present, Dr Fiona Campbell ... My understanding is that Dr. Russell Mitten at Werribee Veterinary Hospital (Melbourne University) is a canine heart specialist. Is that different to a cardiologist? I took my girl to him when I had cause for concern. Russell Mitten does all the Heart Clinics for Cavaliers in Vic, SA & WA...........he is well respected for his experience in the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Which State are you from? There may be a Heart clinic coming up near you somewhere. I am in Victoria...... How do I find out about the heart clinic? Various Breed Clubs hold Clinics throughout the year, Cavalier KCS Club, Golden Retriever Club etc..........They will welcome any other Breeds along to make up numbers usually. They may have stipulations of being a member of DogsVic though I am not sure what happens down there???? You could ring Russell Mittens office at Werribee, and see if he is booked to do any Clinics & then perhpas contact that club to see if you can book, however the clinics are by Auscellation only (steth)..........If he detected anything sinister he would need you to have further testing. So perhaps a one on one consult in his rooms would be better in your case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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