Murphy's visit to vets

Murphy still not eating properly so we decided to take him to the vets..
The vet said he has a bad tummy bug and gave him some injections and some medicine to give him for a week...And we also picked up some more sno tears for his dry eye,which is mega improving
I asked about Murphy's heart as he has a grade 2 murmur..I asked what are the chances of Murphy getting MVD in the future and he said pretty good chance as "Most cavaliers will have bad hearts when there elderly" ..This made me so angry to know the judgements of cavaliers,as not ALL cavies will have bad hearts..I remember when we were looking for a cavie, a relative of mine said "Don't get one because they get bad hips/legs and hearts.." .. But anyway Murphy is on the mend but the future scares me..But hopefully we have many happy years to spend with him.
Hope everyone on the site is well .. - and your cavaliers!
x ..* Forgot to add, The vet said when Murphy wakes up in the morning with a cough is the time to worry.

Sorry to hear about Murphy’s tummy bug.
In regards to the murmur try not to worry too much. I was horrified when I found out that Ebony has got a Grade 2 murmur, but she is happy and it might get worse or it might not.
Correct me if I am wrong but a Murmur is MVD. I am surprised you vet didn’t explain that. And what makes me angry is and my vet said exactly the same then your vet “That it is a Cavalier and it’s not a big deal most of them get MVD and when the coughing starts then it’s time to worry”. I had to push for a referral to a cardiologist.
Wishing Murphy a speedy recovery.

Sabby said:

Sorry to hear about Murphy’s tummy bug.
In regards to the murmur try not to worry too much. I was horrified when I found out that Ebony has got a Grade 2 murmur.
Correct me if I am wrong but a Murmur is MVD. I am surprised you vet didn’t explain that. And what makes me angry is and my vet said exactly the same then your vet “That it is a Cavalier and it’s not a big deal most of them get MVD and when the coughing starts then it’s time to worry”. I had to push for a referral to a cardiologist.
Wishing Murphy a speedy recovery.

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Thanks Sabby...he did not explain about the murmur, just the future off what could happen, I was not sure if a murmur was MVD, but it must be..I find it so sad to know that the vets have such a judgement on cavaliers(aswell as other breeds I guess).."most of them will get MVD"..Thats just terrible

MurphysMummy said:

I find it so sad to know that the vets have such a judgement on cavaliers(aswell as other breeds I guess).."most of them will get MVD"..Thats just terrible

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I agree, but I suppose he was just giving you the benefit of his experience. When I brought Trapper to my vet for his initial check up when we got him, my vet warned me that Cavaliers were prone to lots of health problems due to over breeding - how right he was. Trapper (age 6) has a grade 2 murmur, dust mite allergy, congenital cataracts and dry eye. (No SM yet, but am quietly waiting for the symptoms to show, hopefully they won't).
Thank goodness for pet insurance!

I think the main thing is to enjoy our lovely dogs, be aware of potential problems and have a good relationship with our vets.

Hope Murphy will start to feel better soon. Thanks for the info about coughing in the morning, I wasn't aware of that.

I hope Murphys tummy bug gets better soon. Really good news about his eyes improving. I am sorry he has the murmur and will keep my fingers crossed for
him. Molly, Dougall and Dotty send lots of sloppy licks :hug:

Sorry about Murphy and his little problems.

As far as I understand it the Murmer is an indication the the Mitral Valve isnt closing properly with every heart beat- the murmor is the sound of the blood flowing back in to the heart.
So in that instance... yes I supose if the Mitral Valve isnt doing its job properly then it can be considered as MVD.- maybe someone can help on this one.

My Charlie has a grade 6 murmor which he was diagnosed with at age 9 months. The first Vet we saw told me it was a grade 2/3 and not to worry as it was completely normal. Yes I understand your anger completely!!!! I was angry at his statement and frustrated also.

I personally wasnt happy so I referred to a specialist- he then told me that it was a grade 6 and no that isnt normal with his age!! Ummmmm DUH!!!!

So we had the ECG and was told he has Mitral Valve displasia- a birth defect. So he does have MVD- once the blood back flow gets to much the heart will enlarge which i turn causes strain on the other organs. The way I understand it is that the organs will have to work harder to compensate and produce excess fluid- it is that excess fluid that causes the coughing that everyone talks about and once this happens it is considered as heart failure.???-
I do hope I have that right as it will be part of our future together!!

Try not to worry- some murmors are never any more than that and some progress to heart failure.
Ruby has had her murmor for 2.5 years at a grade 1 and its never got any worse (touch wood)!!!

I know what you mean, we found out a few weeks ago that Charlie has a a bad heart, we knew ever since he was about 2 that he has a heart murmer and right now he has a grade 3 heart mumer. What annoys me is when ever we go to the vets they always say it would be hard to find a Cavalier without a heart problem. It just makes you sad because when Charlie didnt have a enlarged heart they kept talking about it all the time when we went to the vets and it just depresses you.
Dogs can live for many more years after you find out they have a bad heart if you catch it early, when we found out about Charlie we was shocked and scared but you just have to live every day as it comes

this might make me sound really stupid, but how do the vets distinguish which grade a heart mumur is?? my vet has only briefly listened to bentleys heart at his anual check ups and said his heart seems to be ok.... should i push for him to test further..... xx im glad murphy is on the mend xx

A heart murmur is a symptom of Mitral Valve Degeneration, but it doesn't necessarily lead to Congestive Heart Failure , which is the really serious heart problem, of which fluid accumulating in the lungs during rest and causing morning coughing is an early symptom. Some Cavaliers will live happily with a heart murmur all their lives; others will move into heart failure. All you can do with a heart murmur is keep your dog fit, strictly regulating food intake and exercising regularly, but being careful not to over-exercise to the point of getting very tired, and be extra cautious in hot weather. Otherwise, treat your Cavalier normally and enjoy him or her.

Vets can seem resigned to MVD, but I think this is simply the result of their experience - Simon Swift said that 50% of Cavaliers will die of heart disease before they are 5, and those are the Cavaliers that the vets are having to treat. I do wish, though, that they would admit that their ordinary stethescopes will not give an accurate picture of a murmur, and be more ready to refer to a cardiologist.

Kate, Oliver (Grade 2 murmur at almost 9) and Aled (Grade 3 murmur at almost 3)

Kate H said:

Simon Swift said that 50% of Cavaliers will die of heart disease before they are 5

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Whoa!!! The correct statistic is that 50% of Cavaliers will have a heart murmur before the age of 5, NOT 50% will be dead of heart disease before they are 5!!!

Pat

Oops! Moral - don't post late at night! Thanks for the correction, Pat. On the other hand, Simon Swift also quoted evidence that 60% of Cavaliers will die of heart disease - which does support my contention that vets can seem resigned to MVD in Cavaliers because they do spend a great deal of their time treating it.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

Thanks for all your input. Everyone on the site makes me feel so much better as I know I'm not the only one with a poorly cavie. Your are all fab - especially because we are all cavie owners!!