Luke has a murmur. He'll be 5 on 2/7. I took him yesterday to a clinic to get looked at, and the vet said he has one. I'm going to take him soon to another clinic to get an echo. But damn. I don't know how long he's had it. The last time he was at a clinic was about a year and a half ago. He didn't have it at that point. My vet hasn't noted it, and he's been there within the last 6 months. They've always been looking at my vet because they know it's an issue for the breed. It was graded at 1-2 now. Hopefully it's not fast progressing. He'd be very upset to have to stop Flyball, but he's clearly been running with it fine for some time so he's not stopping now. He just got started in agility again, and I don't care if he never runs competitively. My friend handles him, so if all she does is works out kinks with him so the next one is better, I don't care.
A friend recommended a cardiologist locally who has cavaliers of her own, so I'll probably take him there after I get it confirmed via Doppler. The doctor who does the clinics is the other local cardiologist, but I can't imagine anyone better to treat a cavalier than someone who has cavaliers.
I've been looking at breeders for a bit for my next cavalier, because I do want to get one bred for sport. I lucked out on him being an athlete. I can't imagine not having one, but Luke also hates puppies. I don't think he'd like it much if I had one while he was still here.
My friends who have dogs with murmurs don't get this. Their dogs are twice his age. Their breeds don't have the likelihood of progressing quickly that cavaliers do. I hope he has a long time left, but I know he might not. It just sucks.
A friend recommended a cardiologist locally who has cavaliers of her own, so I'll probably take him there after I get it confirmed via Doppler. The doctor who does the clinics is the other local cardiologist, but I can't imagine anyone better to treat a cavalier than someone who has cavaliers.
I've been looking at breeders for a bit for my next cavalier, because I do want to get one bred for sport. I lucked out on him being an athlete. I can't imagine not having one, but Luke also hates puppies. I don't think he'd like it much if I had one while he was still here.
My friends who have dogs with murmurs don't get this. Their dogs are twice his age. Their breeds don't have the likelihood of progressing quickly that cavaliers do. I hope he has a long time left, but I know he might not. It just sucks.