Tilly Vet Visit

[kim & Tilly]

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I took Tilly to the vets today so she could have her booster.

Its a new vet as we have just moved, he asked us if there were any problems with her i said she seems to scratch her ears alot he had a look no problems.

He felt her legs and body no problems, then he listened to her heart, he was there so long i was going to ask if she had one :- "

He then told us he thought he could hear a heart murmur, but on a scale of 1 to 5 it was a 1, he also said it could be because of her deep chest and not to worry..

Any how he looked at the rest of her and gave her, her jab..

But has anyone else had this?? He said he would have a look again in about a year and he thinks it would have gone :blink:

 

[Nicola]

Hi Kim,

This subject has cropped quite a few times over the years. The concensus is that vets often diagnose whippets with heart murmurs (or is it misdiagnose?). It's 9 x out of 10, nothing to worry about. Hope others put your mind at rest. :huggles:

 

[Vicky]

Try searching on here, there's loads of us been mis-diagnosed, it really is quite a common thing with vets & whippets.

 

[Kath]

Hi Kim,
This subject has cropped quite a few times over the years. The concensus is that vets often diagnose whippets with heart murmurs (or is it misdiagnose?). It's 9 x out of 10, nothing to worry about. Hope others put your mind at rest.  :huggles:

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I was told by one vet that my youngest had a heart murmur when he was 12 weeks old. I went to another vet for a second opinion and there is nothing wrong with him. The second vet said that in deep chested dogs the fact that their hearts are beating nice and strongly can sometimes give a little echo that is often misdiagnosed as a heart murmur.

 

[whippets]

vets are not always right a few yaers ago we had a collie with a heart murmer (we new about it for years) yet when she saw another vet he said it was fine and that she hadnt got a heart murmer. turned out she HAD got a heart murmer (quite bad) but the vet hadnt noticed it!

heart murmers can cause very little problems and vets arent always right. )

 

[ponygirl]

Hmm this is interesting. My vet told me about 4 years ago that Eli had a heart murmur, and each time he goes for a jab or whatever I ask whichever vet we see to just have a listen for it....they always say that it's so low-grade that it's not worth worrying about. Does make you wonder if it's actually there at all?

 

[June Jonigk]

I was told that Bubble & Squeak had a heart murmur when she was 4 years old - she went on to race until she was 10, and is still running with puppies now at 10 and a half. She has never had any problems. Another vet at the surgery said he couldn't hear it, and not to worry.

Puppies do sometimes have heart murmurs which normally disappear by their last vaccination.

Tilly is a livewire to say the least :lol: - so don't worry Kim, she certainly doesn't show any signs of heart problems!!

Edited to say - I have also been told by a friend who had her whippet to a heart specialist, that whippets are sometimes wrongly diagnosed as having an enlarged heart - when really it's just that they're fit, and as the heart is a muscle like any other, it is also larger.

 

[Lynn-Alexandria]

Mij, my moms cavalier was diagnosed with a heart murmur. Its a common thing in cavalier spaniels, most of them have no problems with it. Id do some research online and see what ya can find there. :thumbsup:

 

[Ridgesetter]

Sorry, guys, I can't agree with your general view of not to worry about a suspected murmur. I've been experiencing heart problems for over 10 years now. Other breeders say they're not experiencing any heart problems, yet I go to vets, the uni and speak to canine cardiac specialists who are telling me whippets have heart issues. I have come across some owners and breeders who admit to having had the odd heart problem and on many general health sites, whippets are listed as a breed that suffers with heart disease. This saddens me immensely so I am a strong advocate of diagnosing any murmur and advising the breeder.

A heart murmur doesn't mean a poor prognosis for a dog, nor that it can't or shouldn't lead an active life. Nor does the grading of the murmur indicate the severity of the problem. I visited a canine cardiologist for a doppler ultrasound a month ago because my puppy had a murmur that wasn't apparent at 6 weeks but was at 3 months only at a certain heart rate. When the murmur was present, it was extremely loud and a high grade, yet she was diagnosed with a rare condtion, and the specialist has said it shouldn't present any problems, but at least we are aware of it.

We discussed how many vets can't distinguish a murmur and even how some vets don't advise owners that a murmur is present. I appreciate it's expensive to diagnose a heart murmur, but I do believe it's important to understand what's happening to the breed.

I don't want to appear to be an alarmist or a pessimist but the health of our breed is important. :thumbsup:

 

[hellybobs]

I've had first hand experience of having a whippet with a heart murmur.

I got Bailey almost 4 years ago, blinded by love I got her...she was the smallest of the litter (and the prettiest :wub: ).

She played with her litter mates for a bit when I first went to see her but was very quiet, I thought that was just her personality (stupid I know )

Anyway, I took her for a first jab and was told the same thing as Tilly...not to worry.

After a few weeks she wasn't eating, didn't want to paly or walk about and lost what little weight she had on her...so back to the vet and I was told that her heart was slightly worse than he first thought...but still not to worry yet.

A few days after that visit, she had a fit of some discription and then couldn't stop coughing, so I rushed her back to the vet and he said that both side of her heart was knackered (he used bigger words that didn't register...to many tears) and that she wasn't going to last much longer.

So...I had a choice to make...let her suffer til the end or PTS.

Needless to say I couldn't let her suffer and at 14 weeks old I lost her.

I don't want to worry or alarm anyone...what I'm try to say (and quite badly) is you really would know if your dog has a bad heart as it reflects in there general health. Listen to your vet but trust your insticts, you know your own dog.

RIP Bailey :wub:

 

[kim & Tilly]

Many thanks for the replies.....

Just to say the vet said it could just be a deep chest, hense the dont worry bit

She does backward cough but only very occasonally

As most of the people at Gloucester know she runs as strong on her first race as she does on her last. Runs around like a loony without problems just normal getting out of breath.

And she is 14 months old..

I just wondered if anyone had been told and then it went away and then people who have been told and it didnt...iykwim

Bearing in mind i had never seen him before, and i went to the last vet quiet a few times and they never said anything (actually i dont think they ever listened to her heart :wacko: ), is he just being over causous (sp)

 

[OEH]

In the past vets have said that both Esme and Tess have heart murmurs, but I have had them both check by a sighthound vet who says there is no problem.

I wouldn't worry.

Also when I was 14 I was looking for my first horse and fell in love with William a 10 year old thoroughbred. He was perfect in every way, but he failed the vet on a heart murmur, so I cried and cried and cried and we didn't get him. A few months later I bought Loppy who passed her vetting with flying colours only to die 5 years later of a heart attack with me on board, and last I heard of him, a couple of years ago William was still going strong at 18. :wacko:

 

[Janimal]

I was told Kobi may have aheart murmur when he had his first jabs too, but when we went back for a check up 6 months later - he was given the all clear - No heart murmur. :thumbsup: The older vet at our clinic said it is quite common for the freshyly trained vets to misdiagnose a heart murmur.

My old Dog Chip - he had heart problems and they were discovered after an operation following an attack from another dog. he on the other hand had to take medication for the rest of his life - which was for another 4 years after the op. His full age 12 and half years.

You may find that Tilly does get the all clear too hopefully. :huggles: