Heart Murmur

[saradale]

I have an 8week old border collie pup. she went to the vet for a general checkup and vaccination/microchip on saturday and the vet detected a very slight heart murmur. He explained that there is nothing really to worry about at this stage as puppies occasionally do have heart murmurs, as the heart function inside the uterus is quite different as to outside in the real world.

He suggested a checkup in a few weeks to see if there has been any change. He said that often these things sort themselves out as the pup gets a little older. She is otherwise a totally healthy, full of life, little ball of fluff.

Have any of you had puppies with heart murmurs and has the problem rectified its self? Or should I seek a second oppinion from another vet?

[Dogsfevr]

I would call your breeder to let them now what the vet has said.

I will also say the info the vet has given you is very correct & very well explained as you have taken it in so well.

[winpara]

I haven't yet bred a BC pup with a heart murmur but have heard of "puppy" murmurs in other breeds that resolve as the pup gets older and cause no problems.

However I do know of a few instances of Border Collies with PDA, which does present in pups as a murmur. One of which was missed when the pup had its vaccinations as the vet was not aware that it was possible in BC's. The unfortunate thing for her was that she was not diagnosed early enough so the first surgery she had to correct the problem was not 100%effective and she required another surgery later on. She is now 8yrs old and has been (and still is!) a very successful agility dog.

I would be making your vet aware and/or find a vet who can accurately diagnose the exact cause of the murmur (PDA is supposed to have a characteristic sound). If it is PDA it is important to have it diagnosed whilst still quite young so the operation can be performed early and so have the best chance of succeeding.

Some PDA links...

http://www.bobmckee.com/Client%20Info/Cardiac/PDA.html

http://www.upei.ca/~cidd/Diseases/cardiova...iseases/PDA.htm

http://www.puresilkkennels.net/pda.html

[Ali Baba]

Good advice given so far. I had a chihuahua that was diagnosed as having a heart murmur at the age of 4 years, how she wasn't diagnosed sooner I will never know! Anyway, suffice to say that she lived a happy and long life and passed away at 17 years of age. Some pups can be diagnosed with a heart murmur at 8 wks old and then when seen again a month or two later they no longer have a heart murmur. Best wishes for your furball, hope it's nothing serious.