WoofnHoof Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Hi everyone, Since I'm incredibly useles at using the search function here I thought I'd ask what everyone's experiences and managment with mild heart murmurs are. Took my pair to the vet today for their vaccs and checkup and the vet there reckons my 6 y/o chi has a mild heart murmur, she got another vet to check as well. She said to watch his exercise capabilities and monitor breathing etc and he does need to lose a bit of weight, other than that nothing to panic about. So just wanted to know how everyone else manages this and what sorts of things to look out for in addition to the stuff the vet has mentioned. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 Bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Helena Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 No experience with this, but I hope that your chi is okay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 The only thing I've really noticed is that he's panting more than he used to (he used to hardly ever pant) but it's hard to know how much to put down to him needing to lose weight and the fact that it's been awfully hot. Other than that he seems fine they did say it was loud which apparently means only a minor leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTD Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Molly , Pom/chi has a heart murmur. At first the vet said just watch her until she showed some signs before putting onto medication Her first signs were coughing every so often which turned into every night , very restless, huffing and puffing. So we then took her to the vet , she was put onto diuretics for a week, if they stopped the coughing, which they did, she had a heart ultra sound and then put onto heart medication Because it was such a gradual thing and she is getting older ( now 13 ) i really didn't notice how she slowed up and was eating less and becoming fussy with her food . It has taken a while but she has gone back to puppyhood, she now runs around , plays ect it is so nice too see a great improvment and also has started to eat well again . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBL Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Our greyhound Lilly has a mild heart murmur - the vet thinks its about a 2 or a 3. We were just told to look out for signs such as tiring quicker and not wanting to exercise (though she is a greyhound so thats pretty standard!) plus coughing etc. We are thankfully not at the stage where medication is necessary (and hopefully will never get there). We tend to find the heat knocks her more than the other 2 dogs - but she is black too so that doesn't help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 Thanks for the feedback guys I will be keeping an eye on him and working to get the excess weight off hopefully we can avoid meds for a few more years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Main thing is to ensure he is not exercised past his "tolerance" level, which I guess isn't a huge problem, and I think it is important to have 6 monthly heart checks by the same vet to keep track of whether it is worsening or not. And of course, keep an eye out for coughing, or a very full looking stomach (fluid build up). Co enzyme Q10 is good for hearts, and it never hurts to have a dog with a heart problem on it. If the dose is one per day for humans, I'd give a 10 - 20kg dog one three times a week, and perhaps twice a week for a chi, depending on his weight. It might be an idea to talk to your vet about this. There has been some research done on humans, but sometimes vets haven't heard of "health shop stuff" and don't have very open minds, but if he does, he can provid you with good information. I never recommed anything to anyone which I haven't researched and tried. Worth googling. May stave off the day he needs medication, ie Frudix and Metacam etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted July 10, 2010 Author Share Posted July 10, 2010 Just thought I'd update this thread my boy had his teeth done yesterday and the vet said his heart murmur seems fairly bad but it's hard to say whether it has worsened because I moved earlier this year so had to go to a different vet. He has lost weight so is a much more ideal weight than he was at Christmas time, he was about 4kgs then now he is down to 3.4kg. He coughed a little last night which may have been just recovering from the sedation the vet said that she didn't sedate him very much because of the heart. We will go back to the same vet in about 6 months so she can compare. Thanks for the info about Q10 do I get that from the health shop? The vet suggested that if he starts to show more clinical signs it might be worth getting him looked at by a specialist too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 My Dane has a heart mumur, the Vet checks it everytime we go in to see if it's developed any further. Co enzyme Q10 is a goer. If the dog seems out of sorts then have a chat to your Vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayla1 Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 For those that have used co enzyme Q10, did you notice any difference? Is it given before symptoms start to show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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