# Grade one heart murmur and slight arrhythmia in my baby!



## LindsC (May 28, 2012)

My hav is one year and 4 months. The vet is telling me he detects a very low grade murmur and possibly an arrhythmia. He is saying it could mean nothing or could mean a problem.

He said I can wait and see if it changes or get a cardio workup, echocardiogram, for $400.

Has anyone experienced this or have thoughts on what to do? Should I contact the breeder b/c most often these are genetic issues?

I, obviously, love my boy to death, and am so upset that this is happening.

Thanks for any thoughts/advice!


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

Sorry, Linda, to hear about your little one having problems. I can understand your concern. A heart murmur was detected on my first Hav, Bailey, at a young age. It also, was catergorized as low grade and the vet didn't feel that it was a problem and just continued to monitor it. He was never diagnosed with an arrhythmia, however. My DH has one of those! Bailey lived a long, happy life and was very, very energetic throughout his 15 years, always running and playing fetch without any ill effects. Tyler was diagnosed with a murmur about 3 or 4 years ago. He is 16 and still runs and jumps around every morning when he gets up. Hope this helps you feel a little better.

I would suggest that you mention it to his breeder and find out if any of his/her other pups and/or dogs have had the same issue. Good luck and keep us posted. You'll be in my thoughts.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I've heard of this a few times, but never heard of it amounting to anything other than the noise.


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## LindsC (May 28, 2012)

Thanks Sandy and Tom. That certainly makes me feel better Tom. He runs around and has his havanese bursts just fine. 

So, I wonder if I get the cardio workup just for peace of mind or just do a recheck in 6 months or so.


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## Miss Paige (Apr 4, 2008)

I had the honor of fostering & adopting a beautiful Havie-Ms Frannie who at age 11 had a grade 2 heart murmur-since I am not sure when the original owners first found it, I do know they did nothing about the murmur-after I adopted her I did at my vet's recommendation put her under the care of a cardiologist-she lived to be 13 and enjoyed life to the fullest. If you would feel better I would find a good heart dr & have her checked once a year or if you like your vet I am sure they can keep a close eye on the situation when you do the yearly well checks. Since my two plus one are all older I have changed my well checks to every 6 months, I think because we have started traveling I just feel better having them checked out twice a year.


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## DebW (Jun 11, 2013)

Hi Linda - very sorry to hear your news.

My hav was diagnosed with a heart murmur at a young age, developed heart failure at age 12, and died at 13 from it. I have worked on clinical trials in heart failure and know a little bit about the field, from a human perspective. At least the drugs used to treat HF are largely similar.

Vets have a hard time predicting how well dogs with valve problems will do. Some live full, long lives, some develop heart failure but have a normal life span despite it, and some, like mine, will eventually succumb to the disease. 

Of course, your vet will know better, but while the testing will confirm the diagnosis, I doubt it will alter the course of treating your dog - I.e., there is really no treatment for it until HF develops, in which case drugs can be prescribed to treat the HF. 

In humans, you might have valve surgery depending on the severity of the valve problem, or implant a pacemaker depending on the nature of the arrhythmia. I have not heard of these measures being used in the canine world.

It sounds like your hav's heart murmur is not serious, at least at this stage. That part is good news!


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