Bad news today

i took Rubes for her jabs this evening & our vet said she has a pronounced heart murmer,she is booked to have xrays on tues to see if her heart is enlarged.
Any time any vet has listened to her heart before theyve always been surprised at how good her heart is for a cavalier & now suddenly its a pronounced murmerHe said its a recent one but that he could feel it by hand aswell. i was too shocked & upset to ask any questions but i can on tues. im in bits for her,she already has so much to cope with SM,dry eye,colitis & being an ex breeding machine,im not ashamed to admit i sat in the park straight after sobbing with her in my arms.During which time jelly chewed on a stick(which i NEVER let her do normally) 5 mins after we got home she threw that up all over so not the best evening all round
what should i ask the vet?
thanks for reading x

Oh Gis

You tried to phone me and I was getting them all out of the car and when I answered you had gone ,I am so sorry not to be there when you wanted me to be we will have a good talk pls do not get upset but I know you will be just try and stay calm and think only positive if you can I am sure lovely Rubes is not going anywhere for a long long time ,sleep well dear friend we shall speak tomorrow .
Great big Hugs to you and Rube and Jelly
from us lot.

I wouldn't upset yourself too much over this until you see a cardiologist. My Misha has a grad 0-IV heart murmur. The cardiologist indicated that the loudness of the murmur is not always indicative of the progression of MVD. When I first found out, I went to pieces too. I did find out that Misha's MVD is quite mild though despite the sometimes loud murmur. Best of luck with your pup.

Best of luck tupup. Hopefully it isn't as bad as the vet seems to think. Its always a shock when we get yet another bad news diagnosis. Its probably nothing too serious, but until you know for sure, I'd say she would benefit from plenty of cuddles, which I bet she is getting now.
Keep us posted.:xfngr:
Charli :flwr:

Oh I am so sorry, I have sent you an e mail, lots of cuddles and kisses :hug:

Dear Tupup.

How frightening for you to have such sudden and unexpected news on a routine vet's visit.

Mishathepooh is right, the loudness of the murmur does not always give a clear indication of the severity of the heart condition.
Many cavaliers live for many years after a murmur is first detected.

Read up on the subject, so you can understand a little bit about what is happening.
I'll keep everything crossed for Tuesday:xfngr:

Sending you cyberhugs, as I know how you feel. Our last dog (not a Cav) was diagnosed with a heart murmur and I thought the world was ending. He lived very well for years on his medication, and finally died of old age, definitely not his heart. Please give Rube and yourself a hug from me.

Tupup, so sorry to hear of your news of Rubes, please try not to worry too much. I know that when we were told Jasper had a heart murmur when he was about 8 and then last year when he got worse and had to have Xray, ECG and heart scan I was so worried and feared the worse, but with medication he is fine and still enjoys life and pulls and goes on walks, we often say "has someone told him he has a heart problem", please try and enjoy her although I know she has a lot of other health problems to deal with. Good luck for next tuesday and take care.:hug:

No advice to offer but just wanted to say I am thinking of you and hoping things are a bit more positive after the x-rays

I've also had several ex-breeding Cavvies with varying degrees of heart murmur when they arrived with me and all have lived for many happy years. The latest one was 18 months ago and Victoria is now 9 years old.

My vet (who has Cavaliers of his own) has always recommended treating them in exactly the same way as all the others, until such times as they need a bit more "cotton wool", and I've always done exactly that. Last time I took Victoria for a routine check, I was told that her heart was actually stronger now than when I got her - presumably she hadn't had a lot of exercise at that time, whereas now she walks every day.

So nil desperandum - as others are also telling you, there IS definitely life after diagnosis!!:luv:

I am so sorry to hear about Rubes. I know how you feel, when I went for Ebony’s booster last year she was diagnosed with a heart murmur at only 2 ½ years old. I cried all the way home. But after I saw a Cardiologist who explained it very well I felt a lot better. Like others said Cavaliers can live a happy life with medicine. Just wait until you see a Cardiologist. I know the waiting is the hard part. Keep us informed. Sending lots of:hug::hug:

Thanks everyone,youre all so lovely& those messages have made me feel more positive,we all know its a possibility but its still come as a shock. Im sure i'll have questions when i know more!Ive got over my initial OMG she's going to die& have stopped wailing Rubes seems none the wiser & ive reminded her she has to live until 100,we've all had a quiet day,short walks in the rain but her leg where she got her jab must have been tender as she only pottered along.I feel bad for jelly as today is her 1st birthday(posting on that next) but Brian stopped me feeling too guilty on that-thanks bud.We shall celebrate tomorrow instead!

Thanks again for your lovely posts & support & i will of course update here after tues x

I remember when my Rudee was first diagnosed with a heart murmer; like you I cried and cried and was up the walls with worrying and freting over her. I used to kiss her every night and say " Just one more summer Rudes, eh!" I ended up saying that for eight + years
So sorry that Rubes has yet another diagnosis to add to her list but I'm sure the Vet will be able to sort her with meds :hug::hug:

hard times when the vet delivers sad news - although sometimes animals do get along very well living with their illness...my cat was vet checked last week at 17, she has a heart murmour and was diagnosed with kidney failure three years ago.I came home and cried about it at the time but she's still here and looking great for her age - maybe one more summer!!. We take each day as it comes and as long as she's happy today we don't worry too much about the tomorrows to come