Heart Murmur in Dogs

Heart murmur is a cardiac problem which occurs in dogs, as a result of turbulence in the blood flow. This disorder is mostly found in young dogs. The 'heart murmur' can be heard in the form of blood flowing in the heart and the blood vessels adjacent to it. The degree or intensity of the problem is influenced by various factors such as the physical state and health of the dog. It is generally seen that the murmur in the heart stops, as the dog grows up. The heart murmur, in many cases, may also require medications and surgical treatment.

Causes of Canine Heart Murmur
Leakage in the valves present in the heart, is one of the important reasons behind heart murmur in dogs. Mitral valve dysplasia is a condition in which the valve leaks and results into heart murmur. Ventricular septal defect is a condition in which holes are present in the walls of the chambers that pump blood. When a puppy is in the phase of rapid growth, the level of cardiac output is raised, which results into an increase in the velocity of the blood flow. The turbulence that is created due to the rise in velocity, results into heart murmur. There many other reasons behind the turbulence caused by the rise in blood flow. The value of blood viscosity becomes high, due to anemia or fever. It is also a cause behind the turbulence. Pulmonary stenosis, is a condition in which the outflow from the right ventricle creates turbulence as a result of the narrowing of the pulmonary artery. A similar condition in which the aorta becomes narrow is known as the aortic stenosis.

Dog Heart Murmur Symptoms
Dogs with heart murmurs don't exhibit any kind of well-defined symptoms. The general symptoms that show up in this cardiac disorder, are fainting spells, lack of oxygen that might cause the dog to collapse, a slowdown in the regular activities and increased panting even when the dog is resting. The tongue and the gums develop a bluish tinge, if the dog is suffering from heart murmur. The dog might also exhibit problems in breathing and coughing is also observed sometimes.

Diagnosis of Heart Murmur
Most of the time, a thorough physical examination is enough to understand the condition of the dog and confirm the occurrence of heart murmur. However, a few tests such as chest X-ray, heart ultrasound and blood tests need to be conducted. The heart ultrasound test proves to be of a great help as it allows an insight into the actual cause and the depth of the problem. Any kind of underlying causes that result into major problems, are also detected with the help of a heart ultrasound.

Canine Heart Murmur Treatment
The canine heart murmurs could be either benign or acquired. For the proper treatment of the disorder, a thorough examination of the dog is carried out. It determines whether the heart murmur is benign or acquired. The benign heart murmur doesn't need any kind of treatment. This minor form of heart murmur is treated by providing a low sodium diet to the dog. Medications used for the treatment of heart murmur are Enalapril, Lasix or Benazepril. Medications are used to lower the blood pressure and to increase the strength of contractions in the heart. In critical situations, surgery remains the only option to treat the damaged valves present in the heart.

Heart murmur found in younger dogs, is mostly congenital, while the older dogs exhibit heart murmur associated with valve diseases. One of the common disease in dogs, heart murmur can be cured with the help of proper treatment and care.