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Jelly

T

Trudytrue

Member
Hi. Have a Ruby by the name of Jelly Bean. He will be 8 yr. in October. He has been diagnosed with a mild heart murmur which hasn’t progressed so far. I’m debating whether to continue the cardiac ultrasounds after having 2 done. For one thing they’re outrageously expensive in Seattle. I keep a close eye on his respiratory status. When it gets real warm out I spray him down which is helpful since he doesn’t tolerate the heat well. He’s still active, playful, eating well and at a good weight. Oftentimes we go
for a daily walk. I’ve had 5 previous Cavaliers. They’re a wonderful breed. Sweet, intelligent and a nice size for me.
 
Hi and welcome to you and Jelly Bean :). MVD is always such a worry, though it's also hard to predict how or even if it will progress, though it generally does. Many people like to very much stay on top of the condition with scans and cardiologist visits. Others will work with their vet, and many vets are quite good at grading a murmur and knowing when to introduce medications. I like to have my affected dogs seen by a cardiologist for an assessment but I've actually rarely done ultrasounds unless there appears to be something unusual going on or more detail is needed to assess care. The approach for MVD is pretty standard and for many, maybe most dogs, I'd question whether lots of ongoing assessments and even interventions will provide any significant benefit to the dog.

At the same time, staying on top of progression in detail, could well add more valuable life time for a given dog, or prevent unneeded treatments, or help fine-tune care. It's really a highly personal choice and there'd be many views on this. One option is to continue to see a cardiologist but state that you don't wish to continue scans but would like them to do an auscultation, since their expertise means so much more detail will come from a simple auscultation than in one done by a vet.

There is no 'must' when it comes to care except to keep a dog as comfortable as possible. Personal means and care philosophies of course will influence what's done or not done by any given owner.

I think it's most important to have a good, capable vet whom you trust. I like my own vet because he is honest on approaches and I share his view that there are things that could be done but don't necessarily need to be done, or could be done, would cost a lot, and might give a little more information, but wouldn't change the care approach or the eventual outcome. And then there are some treatments and imaging that carry their own risks or discomforts or quality of life impacts, with little real impact except to give more information.

Not everyone will agree with that assessment, but I think there are many ways to weigh ups what to do -- as long as a dog is kept comfortable and has good quality of life. Learning as much as you can about heart disease also will help you to weigh up the approach you feel comfortable with.

I hope all that might help a bit.
 
I thoroughly agree with your statements. Right now am not planning on doing another ultrasound. I do my own auscultations and he sounds the same. In April my Vet felt it was similar also. I watch his respiratory rates carefully and regularly spray him down with the fan on him when it’s warm out. I’m somewhat skeptical about a lot of medical tests. I wonder how much of it is realistically warranted, human beings included. I have a history of a long medical career. I think some if not many of these things are moneymakers. My goal is to keep him comfortable and happy as much as possible.
 
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