When Your Dog’s Heart Skips a Beat

A heart murmur is not always a major concern. However, it needs to be investigated further so that your vet can determine the cause of the murmur and provide suitable recommendations.

Little Hearts, Big Battles – What is Heart Murmur?

When your vet places his stethoscope on the heart of your pet, he may hear a “whooshing” sound. That is called a heart murmur.

Heart murmurs can develop at any age; some pets may be born with a heart murmur. The chances, however, are very low. Most pets develop heart murmurs later in their lives. Since pets often exhibit symptoms as the condition progresses, it is essential to schedule routine check-ups for early detection.

Every Heartbeat Matters

Most of the heart murmurs are caused by underlying heart disease, like –

• Leaky heart valves – which do not close properly and hence at a backward or blood to flow in the wrong direction.
• Narrow or “stenotic” heart valves – which do not open properly and obstruct blood flow, causing the blood to flow faster through the obstruction.
• Congenital heart abnormalities – that your pet may have been born with, such as a hole in the heart or an abnormal blood vessel.

In puppies, an “innocent flow murmur” can be present. Such murmurs are very soft and tend to disappear by the time they are six months old. Hence, it is important to note that in a puppy, if the murmur is loud and does not go away by the age of 6 months, it is more likely due to an underlying heart disease. Some pets develop a heart murmur if they are unwell, because of conditions completely unrelated to the heart, like fever or if they become anemic.

Work with Your Vet for the Right Diagnosis

The exact cause of a murmur is found by doing an echocardiography. The heart chambers and valves can be assessed in great detail, and heart function can be measured. This will reveal if there is heart disease, and if present, how severe it is. This procedure will allow your vet to make important treatment decisions for your pet.

Based on the diagnosis and other co-morbid disease conditions, your vet may order blood tests such as those to measure proBNP (a marker for heart disease). If proBNP levels are elevated, heart disease is likely, and echocardiography is recommended. If the proBNP level is normal, severe heart disease is less likely, though a milder form of the disease may be present.

Once a heart murmur is detected, an early diagnosis is always important, as the correct treatment, if started early, can delay the progression of the heart disease and can possibly delay or prevent symptoms.

Caring for Soft Rhythms – How is Heart Ultrasound Performed?

There is no reason that you should be afraid of a heart ultrasound for your furry friend. It is completely painless. Your pet will need to lie on its side while remaining calm while the scan is being done. Some pets may need mild sedation in order to stay calm.

Fur on both sides of your pet’s chest will be clipped for the procedure, while a gel is applied to the skin in order to get clear ultrasound images. The whole procedure usually takes less than 60 minutes, and your pet will be closely monitored throughout.

Healing with Care

An electrocardiogram or ECG allows an accurate determination of your pet’s heart rate. An ECG can provide your vet with a variety of information about the dog’s heart function, such as –

• Is the heart rate normal?
• Is the heart rhythm normal?
• Does the dog’s heart size appear to be normal?

A typical ECG consists of a pattern: a small bump that rises, and then a large spike upward, and then a smaller bump. Your vet will make sure the shape of the wave is correct, and also measure the distance between the various parts of the wave. For a regular heartbeat, the distance between the spikes will be identical. If the spikes are more frequent, infrequent, or otherwise unidentical, then your pet will have an irregular heartbeat.

(Dr Ankur Narad- Principal Animal Husbandry Diploma College Bhopal NDVSU Jabalpur, Dr Urvashi Choudhary – BVSc & AH., MVSc, RGCN PET CLINIC Bhopal MP)