Thump, thud, thud, thud. There may be nothing scarier than being told that a murmur has been detected in your beloved pet’s heart, but with proper monitoring and veterinary advice, this irregular sound can be masked by your fur. It will not interfere with the fun and health of your friends.
Dr. Samantha Eisner, a second-year cardiology resident at Texas A&M College of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, reveals her experience and plan of action when discovering a heart murmur in a young pet.
unique heartbeat
A heart murmur is recognized as a disturbance in blood flow through the heart and can cause an audible sound that your veterinarian can hear with a stethoscope. Professor Eisner explained that while not all heart murmurs are a cause for concern, heart murmurs that are concerning should be addressed and treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Just like babies, dogs and cats can be born with congenital heart defects, which means certain structures don’t form properly or the heart has impaired blood flow or abnormalities, Eisner said. This means that there are abnormal blood vessels that cause this.
“Heart murmurs in young animals can have many different causes. Some soft murmurs are ‘benign’ or harmless, meaning they are not a sign of true heart disease, but others “Some are caused by congenital heart defects in young animals,” Eisner said.
“Some heart murmurs you hear in young pets may not be caused by true heart disease after all, but without further testing we can’t be sure what’s going on inside your pet’s body.” “It’s difficult,” she said. “The gold standard for diagnosing a murmur is an echocardiogram or echocardiogram to determine the cause of the murmur and the level of concern.”
Watch The Murmur
Early diagnosis of heart murmurs through routine examinations in your pet allows for early intervention, improving prognosis and outcomes.
“Identifying murmurs in young animals, as some birth defects may require lifelong medication, or there may be procedures or treatments recommended to help your pet depending on the underlying disease. is important,” Eisner said.
“Some pets, especially dogs, ‘outgrow’ the noises, which means the noises disappear with age,” Eisner says. “However, if the pet grows and the tweets continue, or if the tweets are loud, further evaluation is warranted.”
Eisner says owners should schedule a veterinarian visit before their pet’s annual checkup if they notice any of the following symptoms that indicate their animal may have serious heart disease: He said it was necessary to stand up.
— Increased breathing rate/effort.
— I’m coughing.
— Resistance to exercise.
— Collapse.
— Calm down and check.
If a pet owner suspects that their young pet has a heart murmur, it is worth consulting a veterinarian, either your own doctor or a board-certified veterinary cardiologist.
“Some benign causes of heart murmurs may require regular follow-up by a veterinarian, while others may require further treatment or activity restriction,” Eisner said.
Eisner points out that detecting a heart murmur during a routine checkup in a young pet is no cause for panic.
“The veterinary medical team will assist you through the process of diagnosis and further recommendations for treatment,” Eisner said. “If you are concerned, consulting a veterinary cardiologist is often the best option for a final diagnosis and recommendation.”
