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Have You Ever Heard of A Heart That Clicks?

K

Kitty6

Member
Hello,

I took my 4 year old ruby, Billy, to the Vets and she said that he doesn't have a murmour but she can hear a slight click when she listens to his heart.
:confused:

I know the thing to do is see a cardiologist, but I am not working at the moment. Also, I lost my beloved blenheim to advanced MVD in January and am still paying off all his bills and getting through my sadness at his loss....can I ask if anyone might know what a click means?


Thanks so much
Kate
 
I think the best thing to do for a start is to call your vet tomorrow morning first thing, and ask for an explanation of what a 'click' might be -- they should have explained the possibilities to you right then. (y)
 
I did a quick Google:

During the pre-op exam, however, while listening to Fritz's heart with a stethoscope, Dr. Mike heard a clicking sound that's usually the telltale sign of an imperfect mitral valve. Fritz had developed a heart murmur. The click was probably the sound of mitral valve prolapse.
Click to expand...

You'd want to check with your vet of course, but I would guess, as noted to this dog owner (of a different breed), that this is an early stage murmur.

You can read more at Cavalierhealth.org, from which:

The earliest indications of MVD are outwardly invisible and silent and can only be observed by echocardiography (ultrasound scanning). The first indication is the excessive bulging of the mitral valve leaflets into the left atrium, which is called mitral valve prolapse (MVP) (see illustration "C" at right above), followed by thickening of the leaflets, and then by the presence of a soft whistling sound, called a "murmur", which can be heard by a veterinarian using a stethoscope, which is called auscultation.
Click to expand...

Rod, Pat or others might give more detail. It might not be anything at all, as vets can hear things that aren;t actually there or miss early murmurs too. I'd call your vet to get more information, and then when you are able, have an auscultation. Why not go to a club event so you can get a low cost cardio auscultation? That would let you know what, if anything, is going on, at minimal cost. :flwr:
 
Dr. James Buchanan told us at the International Symposium on MVD in Atlanta, Georgia in May 1998 that: "Systolic clicks occur 25 times more frequently in Cavaliers than other breeds and may be a precursor to a murmur showing up a few years later."

By themselves, they are not a problem, and they do not require attention or medication.
 
Thanks Karlin & Rod.

I suspected that maybe it indicated the beginning of something. I will try the Southern Cavalier Society next time they have the heart chap at the Open Day.

Thanks again x
 
I find the quick annual check at the Cavalier Club ch. show is a good way of monitoring a murmur (or click!) - the health clinics run by the clubs are also very good. Obviously if it started getting serious you would need a proper examination, but it's encouraging to be told every year that neither of my two have got any worse! I noticed at this year's show that for the first time you didn't have to enter your dog at the show (I enter my two Not for Competition) but could just come along and pay £5 per dog instead - a good way of encouraging people with KC registered Cavaliers to get their hearts checked and contribute to Simon Swift's research.

Kate, Oliver and Aled (who was tearing around the park in the sunshine today and I looked at him and thought 'You may have a grade 3 murmur, but you definitely ain't got no symptoms!)
 
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