Heart Murmur in Dogs

What is a heart murmur?

A heart murmur is an abnormal swishing noise in your pet’s heart.
Using a stethoscope, your primary care veterinarian determines if a heart murmur is present.
The loudness of the murmur does not necessarily correlate with the severity of disease.

Most heart murmurs indicate underlying cardiac disease, the severity of which varies widely.
A cardiac evaluation by a board certified veterinary cardiologist when the abnormal sounds are first noted provides the best care and outcome for your dog.
Most pets seem fine on the outside until they develop severe heart disease because their instinct is to hide signs of the disease.
All too often, pets end up in heart failure and the emergency room when early diagnosis and treatment could have resulted in a much longer and healthier life.
Most cardiac disease in pets can be managed long term with medication. Surgery is rarely indicated.

An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) by a board certified veterinary cardiologist is the gold standard for definitive diagnosis.
Veterinary cardiologists are experts in heart mumurs and other heartdisease and have 4 years of training beyond veterinary college including a series of exams to become board-certified.
At CVCA, you are with your pet during the entire visit while we non-invasively diagnose your pet’s condition and tailor the treatment specifically to your pet and family.

Your primary care veterinarian is an integral part of your pet’s cardiac care and receive a report of your pet’s cardiac evaluation the same day your visit occurs.
CVCA works together with you and your doctor to form a team to care for your pet.
Our goals are to delay or prevent congestive heart failure thus avoiding stressful emergency room visits.
After your visit, we are available to you and to your veterinarian 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for follow up communication.
At CVCA, we are passionate about your pet’s well being and the human-animal bond. For more information about heart murmurs in dogs, or help with diagnosing your pet give us a call today!