Grade 3 Heart Murmur

[minimiss]

My first border terrier, Mac, was sold to me with a heart murmur. The heart murmur was not detected at 6 weeks at vaccination.

Though this dog is slow and quiet compared to my other dogs, I think this is part of his personality and not just his heart murmur. He heart murmur has been graded from 3 to 5 by various vets throughout his life.

He will be 10 years old in January, and has been probably the cheapest dog I have ever owned in terms of vet expenses.

Oh wow! That's an amazing story Leema! Goes to show sometimes things aren't as they seem. You must be one of the lucky 'exceptions' to the rule.

I guess it's always nice to hope, and think positively, but at the same time look at the consequences so regardless of what happens, you'll be as prepared as you can be. (Even though being prepared for things like this is often possible in practice but different in theory)

[dancinbcs]

Personly I would be returning the pup and getting the $2500 refund and I would be doing it now before spending any more money on it.

I would then be taking that money and using half of it to purchase a quality pup (not blue) from an ethical breeder.

The vet should of pick it up at 6 weeks, sometimes a very mild murmur can be missed but not a grade 3. With that grade the pup will most likely not have a quality of life or a long one. A 6 year old boy needs a pup that is going to be able to run and play with it, this pup will not be able to do that.

Yes the pup will most likely be PTS and that maybe hard for you to think about at this stage but think of the heart ache that you and your family will go through most likely sooner than later when the pup dies, not to mention the out of pocket expences. It is also not fair to the pup to keep it alive as it will nevr have the quality of life that it deserves.

Leanne

Definitely agree with this advice. The puppy should not have been sold but if the vet missed the murmur the breeder would not have known about it. You won't be able to recover your veterinary costs because the puppy should have been returned as soon as the mumur was detected by you vet. It is pointless spending money on a puppy with a fatal congenital defect and then expecting the breeder to pay for it after the event. The puppy should be returned for the breeder to decide if anything should be spent investigating the problem or if it should be pts. Most puppies with heart murmurs end up spending a couple of years on very expensive medication before dying young. Better to return him now, get your ridiculous $2500 back and start again before you end up spending $1000s more only to lose him anyway.

[Linda K]

I have a kitten that had a grade 3 murmur at 12 weeks, 1 1/3 years later, the murmur has gone - the vet listened for about 5 minutes, as she could simply not believe that it had corrected itself, but it has. Good luck with your little man, hope he lives a long healthy life and can be the playmate for your son

[Addicted2gold]

I bred a pup that had a grade 3 murmur at 6 weeks, he stayed with us and was checked every 4 weeks, every check it was downgraded until at 20 weeks it was completely gone. He was given to a family that had previously purchased a pup from us and at 18months is doing fantastic. Both parents had clear heart certificates. I would never rush to put a pup to sleep, he would have just lived his life with us if it hadn't have cleared.

[dancinbcs]

I bred a pup that had a grade 3 murmur at 6 weeks, he stayed with us and was checked every 4 weeks, every check it was downgraded until at 20 weeks it was completely gone. He was given to a family that had previously purchased a pup from us and at 18months is doing fantastic. Both parents had clear heart certificates. I would never rush to put a pup to sleep, he would have just lived his life with us if it hadn't have cleared.

A lot do get better with age up to about 5 months but if there has been no improvement by 16 weeks it isn't going to happen. No puppy with a heart murmur should be sold because their future is a lottery. Some grow out of it and others get worse. I also know of one that seemed to have corrected because they could no longer hear a murmur. Specialist testing has revealed a heart defect so large that there is no gushing sound to make the murmur.

The OP's puppy should have been returned to the breeder as soon as the murmur was detected so they could deal with running it on, following up on it or making the decision to pts. They have offered a refund on what was a very overpriced puppy but should not be expected to pay for choices the buyer has made about treatment if their vet missed the diagnosis.

Puppies with heart murmurs that don't correct can end up being on very expensive medication for a couple of years before you lose them and most people cannot deny the dog the medication once they have run it on for a year or so, if it lives that long. Some only live a few months, others survive with $1000s worth of medication for a few years.

[dunnwarren]

I have a rescue bitch here with a grade 4 heart murmur, vet wouldn't desex her and said she is a walking time bomb. She is approx. 2 year old, plays with my other dogs but then puts herself to bed. I would be sending the puppy back to breeder, imagine the trauma for your son if the pups collapses one day and dies in front of him. Get your money back and run! Find an ethical breeder and purchase a healthy fit puppy that will be able to play with your son.

[LizT]

As a Cavalier breeder Heart Murmurs are a foremost concern as this breed suffers quite commonly from Mitral Valve disease.

It is very common for a puppy to have something called an "Innocent Murmur" which will usually be gone by 12 weeks of age and is of no consequence to it's health.

In the rating of the severity of Heart Murmurs being graded from 1-6

Grade 1-3 is not considered serious.

Grade 4-6 possibly requiring medication and likely to require medication as the animal becomes elderly, particularly if overweight during it's lifetime.

If a Cavalier Puppy presented with a Grade 3 murmur it would be consigned to a "Pet Home" not to be used for breeding but it would be expected to be living a normal life.

It certainly would not be P.T.S.

I do not know how this translates to the Staffordshire Breed though.

I would assume a heart murmur is a heart murmur??

I also do not know if the fact that it is a 'blue' pup relates to any further complications with this condition.

Hope this information is of some help to you.