What to Do About Dog Heart Murmur Symptoms

By Jennefer Poultson

If your dog has a heart murmur, this is indicative that there is an abnormal amount of blood flow within your dog's heart. This can either be due to a change in the heart valves and their function or a variety of other potential reasons. There may be an abnormal communication between the left and the right side of the dog's heart and this can result in having a dog heart murmur. There may be numerous reasons for this. They may be either congenital or acquired. This means that the heart was affected after the dog was born due to disease or age. There are two distinct kinds of dog heart murmurs. The first is a benign heart murmur which is of no concern to your pup's health. However, it may be a serious heart murmur which may be indicative of congestive heart failure in dogs.

Dog heart murmur symptoms may involve the following: bluish tinge to the gums or tongue, poor exercise ability, coughing, labored breathing and even fainting. Some of these symptoms would suggest that your pup may have other health issues. However, the symptoms are similar between benign heart murmurs and those that are more severe in nature. If you are at all concerned about your canine's health, you should consult your veterinarian. A couple of these symptoms may be overlooked which would include poor exercise ability and a bluish tinge to the gums. If you think that your dog has any dog heart murmur symptoms, canine heart disease or the development of congestive heart failure, immediately contact your vet for a positive diagnosis.

These are symptoms that indicate that something serious is going on with your dog's health. The best way to identify the source and severity of the dog's heart murmur is to conduct a thorough physical examination by a veterinarian, however sometimes additional testing is needed including a heart ultrasound, blood testing, an EKG and chest x-rays. The ultrasound offers a particularly enticing list of benefits because it allows your veterinarian to measure the extent of the murmur, defining whatever the cause of the underlying heart disease may be. It is vital that you be able to properly diagnose the cause of your dog's heart condition because some conditions that cause heart murmurs are treatable, either through surgery or through medication.

If your dog has a congenital heart murmur, then surgery may be indicated. On the other hand, it may be necessary to give your pup certain kinds of medication may be because non-congenital heart murmurs are often an underlying symptom of congestive heart failure in dogs. You will not know how to proceed until you have consulted with the proper veterinarian and received advice regarding your dog's health. You should not leave symptoms like these to chance simply because not every heart murmur is benign and there could be serious changes occurring in the heart of your dog.

It is vital to share any concerns or questions that you may have with your veterinarian especially when it comes to your dog's physical condition and lifestyle. If you are not comfortable with a diagnosis from your general veterinarian, you should consider seeking out a specialist for your dog. You could either go to a veterinary cardiologist or an internist. These vets have specialized training and probably have vast experience in these problems and other issues that your dog may have. - 29895

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