Possible grade 3 heart murmur in 3 year old :(

Hi there, I have just returned from a vet visit with my ruby cavalier. This was a 6 month check up as my vet was not sure if he had heard a heart murmur at my dogs annual check up earlier in the year. Unfortunately my vet has today said that he can definitely hear a heart murmur and thinks its a grade 3. He has said that it sounds unusual as he can hear the murmur on both the left and the right side of my boys heart. Because of this he has said that he would like my dog to be referred to the royal veterinary collage for a more thorough heart examination. He has said that he is not sure whether it is a 'usual' cavalier murmur, or whether it is a congenital heart defect. I am so worried about what this may mean for my lovely little dog. I just wondered if anybody has had a similar experience to this? I am so worried about what this may mean for my very young dog. Thank you in advance x

Seeing a cardiologist at the RVC is the right course - they will be able to do an echocardiogram and actually see on the computer screen what is happening to your boy's heart (mind you, a lot of the squiggles on the screen make no sense to non-experts like me - but you can see clearly what the valves are doing). Mitral valve disease, the usual cause of murmurs in Cavaliers, normally only affects the left, mitral valve, though both may be affected at the heart failure stage (as happened with my Aled), but that normally happens when the murmur is a grade 5-6. So there is possibly, as your vet says, something more than usual MVD going on - but the cardiologist will be able to tell you and suggest medication/treatment. A very worrying time for you - Cavaliers do twist our hearts round their little paws!

Thinking of you,

:hug:

Kate

Thank you very much for your reply Kate, You are so right they really do twist our hearts around their little paws! My vets have arranged an appointment for my boy at the RVC on Monday so hopefully we will know what the situation is then for sure. It just seems so unfair that this is happening to him when he is only 3 years old. Thank you again for your kind words x

Let us know how you get on at the RVC. The whole heart disease thing with Cavaliers is so unfair - if every breeder followed the Cavalier Club's guidelines, it could have been eradicated years ago. My Aled died of MVD last February and it was heartbreaking to care for him and watch him slowly dying over the 7 months he lived after going into heart failure last July. Heart problems are tough on the dogs and tough on the owners. So I hope very much that the cardiologist at the RVC will be able to give you a diagnosis and a treatment plan for your boy and you will have him for many more years.

Kate

So sorry to read your post...too many of us are living with Cavaliers with Heart issues. As Kate said going to the RVC is a good thing....good advice I was given when my Leo was diagnosed was "He doesn't know he's supposed to be ill so try and treat him the same but with obvious restrictions on exercise etc."

With the right meds(if needed) and advice you'll feel a little better...plus there is always great support here.
Let us know how you get on and good luck

Mel

Thank you both Kate and Mel for your advice and kind words and sorry to hear that you lost your dog Aled to MVD Kate We have had our cardiologist appointment today at the RVC who were extremely kind and informative. Unfortunately my cavalier Smudge has MVD aswell as tricuspid valve disease. His murmur was graded at a 2-3 and they have said that he has mild leaking of both valves. This is unfortunately what I was expecting them to say after reading through many previous posts on this forum but was still a shock. I think a small part of me was hoping my vet had got it wrong when listening to Smudges heart. The cardiologist was very optimistic that Smudge is a long way from having to have treatment at this stage and basically told us to not limit his exercise or diet in any way and to just monitor his breathing every now and then to ensure that his breaths are under 40 per minute. She has told us to try not to worry too much at this stage, which at the moment seems easier said than done! We have been told to visit them again in 12-18 months so that his heart can be scanned again. Thank you again for your help x

That is what I would have expected if there were no other complications of another congenital disease. I know the diagnosis sounds awful, but really Cavaliers can live perfectly normal lives with a 2-3 level murmur. Oliver, my old Cavalier, had a grade 4 murmur but lived to be 13 and had no symptoms at all. In fact, it can do real harm to start a dog on heart medication too early. Keeping their weight down is something positive you can do, and being extra careful in very hot weather (walking early and late and keeping the house as cool as possible). Some researchers recommend giving Omega 3, as there is some evidence it can slow down the progression of a murmur; it's good for them anyway, so won't do any harm. Did the cardiologist show you how to count breaths? My Aled was a rescue and had a grade 2 murmur when he came to us at 18 months, which steadily got worse; but he still lived an energetic and busy life for 5 years, with no apparent symptoms and on no medication until he rather unexpectedly went into heart failure. So continue to enjoy your boy, hopefully for a good few years yet.

Kate

Hi Kate, the cardiologist did not show us how to count breaths - is there a particular method we should use? She did say to count then when he is resting and if his breaths are ever over 40 per minute to recount after an hour. I would like to give Omega 3 - how would I go about finding how much is suitable for my dog? Sorry for all the questions and thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my messages. It is very reassuring being able to speak to someone who has experience of this with their dogs. x

Hi
To count his resps you can count how many he takes in 15 seconds the times it by 4 that will tell you how many per minute...or simply count how many he takes in a minute....you should do it when he's resting or asleep.
As for the Omega Oil I give Leo one 1000mg tablet each evening...
Not sure what others give though.

Thank you Mel, that's really helpful. I still feel so sad that my young dog has had this diagnosis Best wishes to you and your dog x

rubypup said:

Thank you Mel, that's really helpful. I still feel so sad that my young dog has had this diagnosis Best wishes to you and your dog x

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You're welcome......its a club none of us want to belong to I'm afraid.....Leo is well at the moment thank you, his meds have stabilised him and he is a happy (fairly) energetic little chap

I take each day as it comes and enjoy him every minute I can.....let us know how you get on

Mel x