just been to the vet

went to the vet today to get my dogs second jag she sounded his chest and thought she heard something she sounded it again for ages but could'nt hear anything abnormal but still thinks she heard something twice the first time got to go back in 10 days to get checked again and she said he may need a scan could you please tell me what that entails and do you find out the results right away as i cant stand the wait he has an infection in his left ear and she said he is quite underweight although we have only had him 3 weeks we see that he has put on weight infact i just said to my husband before we went what a difference in his weight. she was quite abbrupt she was sounding his chest and shouted out IS THIS DOG INSURED we said yes and she didn't say anymore I WAS IN TEARS THANK GOD MY HUSBAND WAS THERE I FELT THE ROOM SPIN AROUND. He is our first dog is it quite common to have a murmer so young he is only 5 months what will happen if he does and what does he get to help him

Puppies can have murmurs which right themselves and are nothing to do with mvd .

Scroll down on the forum and you will find a health section and I believe it's under "Is my dog fat" is a lot of information re: weight of Cavaliers. Your vet sounded very rude and that is not something you have to put up with irregardless of what she thought she heard-are there other vets available? In the health section you will also find a great deal of information regarding murmurs and diagnosis-this would be helpful to review. Sometimes young pups have murmurs that can disappear as they age but I am far from expert in this area. You need to be calm and check out the available information.

thank you i feel much more positive he's such a happy little chappy he just follows me everywhere i am upstairs just now and he is lying on the floor beside me i just love him so much

I think I'd change vets, to begin with.

I would also speak to the breeder about your concerns and about the fact that they feel they may hear a puppy murmur (and that the puppy seems underweight and has an ear infection when you have only had him such a short time). Any reputable breeder who has health tested their breeding dogs and has followed the MVD protocol will definitely want and NEED to know that there may be a question of a murmur of any type in a dog of their breeding. If you did not obtain your puppy from a breeder who breeds for health and does the proper testing and follows the heart protocol than unfortunately you will have a dog at much higher risk of heart problems. A goal of this forum is to make sure people understand the health issues in the breed (and hearts is one of the main and most serious breed problems) and to learn how to find and support good breeders.

Why a vet wouldn't explain that these early murmurs often go away, I don't know. In addition, vets are generally poor at picking up early murmurs and either hear them when they are not there or vice versa. If the vet feels this is NOT a puppy murmur then yes, you really do need to see a specialist. I would not waste time with the vet if after 10 days, they do hear a murmur (and I'd take him to a different vet anyway); I'd get an appointment with a cardiologist if there is even a small chance of a murmur being present as if it isn't a puppy murmur, this could be urgent; if it is a puppy murmur, the cardio may want a scan and xray etc to try and find out what is going on. Best practice would be to see a cardiologist anyway to get an informed expert opinion and to get a baseline reading then have him rechecked when the cardio recommends -- probably a couple of months -- to see if the murmur has gone away.

Can only echo what Karlin has already said really! Sadly there are far too many vets out there who see a Cavalier and automatically think "Oh a Cavalier, they have heart trouble don't they?" and then hear what THEY want to hear!! (Sorry but have a somewhat jaded view of vets these days!)

Many young Cavaliers have what is called an "innocent" murmur which will go as quickly as it came, on the other hand a VERY few Cavaliers can have a very low grade murmur early on and live to be an incredible age, one of mine was such and was 13 when she "went to the bridge", her murmur NEVER worsened throughout her life!!

I am somewhat of the opinion these days (call me cynical or what!) that there are many vets these days who see a "new" Cavalier owner with little experience of the breed and automatically think of "£££££££££££'s" in the bank!!

My advice to you would be to find your nearest board certified cardiologist and have them take a listen to your baby's heart and see what they have to say!! I have had 3 pups returned to me over the years who have been "Diagnosed" with a Grade 2/3 heart murmur at a mere 12 weeks of age (IMPOSSIBLE BTW!!) who ironically had been passed as clear by a incredibly emminent board certified cardiologist who went on to challenge the diagnosis's only to find the repsective vet's "changed" their opinion when they discovered who they were dealing with! :lol: HTH??

unfortunately i went about getting him the wrong way i live in scotland and he was advertised in our paper and he was from a breeder in ireland they were bringing him over on the ferry and a man was picking him up at the other end and we met him down in the borders to collect our when we met him he had the kennel club registration but said that he had forgot to put the pedigree in if i went onto the website i could download it i did think this was a little strange but have tried to phone the breeder but no luck to be honest i just dont want to think about it know because when i saw him i just melted and had to take him home he had to go to someone and at least he'll get the care he needs from me no matter what lies ahead please dont judge me too much i know i should have looked into it a little more and i am especially worried because he came from ireland reading all about what you have to say about that on this forum but i will keep you posted on his progress. he is also microchipped which i got the vet to check which probably doesnt make that much difference, also i sent away his registration which is now in my name he's just my wee baby and will take good care of him all his life

unfortunately i went about getting him the wrong way i live in scotland and he was advertised in our paper and he was from a breeder in ireland they were bringing him over on the ferry and a man was picking him up at the other end and we met him down in the borders to collect our when we met him he had the kennel club registration but said that he had forgot to put the pedigree in if i went onto the website i could download it i did think this was a little strange but have tried to phone the breeder but no luck to be honest i just dont want to think about it know because when i saw him i just melted and had to take him home he had to go to someone and at least he'll get the care he needs from me no matter what lies ahead please dont judge me too much i know i should have looked into it a little more and i am especially worried because he came from ireland reading all about what you have to say about that on this forum but i will keep you posted on his progress. he is also microchipped which i got the vet to check which probably doesnt make that much difference, also i sent away his registration which is now in my name he's just my wee baby and will take good care of him all his life

I would try to find a kinder, more compassionate vet, and then work closely with the vet to get the little boy as healthy as he can be. He's a very special pup! :hug::flwr:

As far as a scan, I'm not sure what she's looking for. My Geordie, who has a grade 3 murmur had to have an ultrasound of his heart at the cardiologist's. He didn't have to have anesthesia for it.

thanks cathy for your good advice and your reply to my son being upset. i am going back next week to the vet but will definately not getting the woman that had me in tears she really was quite sharp i understand it may be not so good news but their are nicer ways of communicating with people you would think they would have lots of experience with that i mean she is in the 50's age bracket she should have had loads of experience i am going to see the woman i got twice previously to her she was nice even if it is bad news i think she would put it accross a little nicer did'nt realise you could actually ask for a pesific vet i am just learning everyday it's my first dog and my first trip to a vets think i'll be more prepared next week

Yes, I prefer a vet who is calm, level headed, and matter-of-fact - especially when I'm getting bad news. Having a vet who is also warm, friendly, and compassionate is icing on the cake!

I've been very fortunate to have only come across one borderline vet in all the years I've had dogs.

I completely sympathise with you. I had exactly the same thing when I first took Chester to the vets. The detected a murmour & said not to worry, but that's easier said than done!

When he went back for a check up they said there was no murmour and that most puppies have them & grow out of them.

I know it's hard but try not to worry too much. I spent the first few months of having Chester worrying and didnt enjoy having him as much as I should. Dont get me wrong, I loved him but just couldnt relax if you know what I mean. Am rambling now!

For sure ditch the vet. How insensitive, rude & stupid. I am sorry you had such a nasty experience. Already great advice given by other members here, but I just wanted to register my disdain at your vet.

Oh & I would write a formal letter to the vet letting them know what I thought. Grrrrr!

:hug:

thanks everyone i dont know what i would do without this site whenever i think of something or do something and think, is this okay to do i just log onto my computer and get great advice. thaks for that

Hi!

Don't beat yourself up over how you got him, the main thing is that you love him no matter what his beginnings where, and will give him the very best you possibly can throughout his life. Next time you will know a bit more about where to go and the questions to ask, but for now he is yours no matter what and the love shines through!! :hug: :hug:

We'll always be here to help, advise and support you no matter what! :lotsaluv::hug:

i feel i will be more prepared on thursday --my next visit to the vet it is my first ever dog and have never experienced a vet before i guess my wee king charles is not the healthiest dog to get considering its my first and i have just been unlucky with my choice of vet and the way i got him but you live and learn and that is exactly what i am doing on the forum but you know something i would'nt change him for the world he is so special to us

Just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've had with your puppy and your 'breeder'. I sympathize because I was also a first time dog owner when I got Sammy a year ago, and although I did a lot of homework about which breed I would like, I was very naive about breeders. Sammy wasn't from a puppy mill - thankfully we don't have them in Finland - but he was from a backyard breeder rather than an official kennel. From his first vet check, he turned out to have many health problems that the breeder hadn't informed me about: undescended testicle, severe over-bite, food allergies, blocked anal glands, and continually stuck tear ducts. I was very upset about it.

I know I will be so careful about the breeder next time I get a puppy. That said, Sammy is the best little dog and I love him so much :luv:. He is in general a very happy chappy and thankfully none of these health issues have really been a problem in his everyday life. I had the testicle removed, his overbite doesn't hinder him, I found a food that suits him, I check his glands and keep his eyes clean. As long as I look after him well, he's fine. I hope it will be the same in your case! It sounds like you are looking after him great!