Murmur mindfulness: Heart murmurs in young pets

Thump-thump-swoosh-thump.

Nothing may be scarier than being told that there has been a murmur detected in the heart of your cherished pet, but with proper monitoring and advice from a veterinarian, this irregular sound will have no power over the joyful well-being of your furry friend.

Dr. Samantha Eisner, a second-year cardiology resident at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, unpacks the experience and plan of action upon discovering heart murmurs in young pets.

A unique heartbeat

A heart murmur is recognized as turbulent blood flow through the heart, which can cause an audible sound that a veterinarian can hear with a stethoscope. Eisner explained that not all heart murmurs are cause for concern, but those that are should be addressed and treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

According to Eisner, just like babies, dogs or cats can be born with congenital defects of their hearts, meaning that certain structures don’t properly form, or they have abnormal vessels in their hearts that can cause the blood flow to be disturbed or abnormal.

“Heart murmurs in young animals can have a variety of causes," Eisner said. "Some soft murmurs can be ‘benign,’ or unharmful, meaning that they are not a sign of true heart disease, while some other murmurs can be caused by congenital defects in a young animal’s heart.”

“While some audible heart murmurs in a young pet may ultimately not be caused by true heart disease, it is difficult to be certain what’s going on inside a pet without further testing,” she said. “The gold standard for diagnosis of a murmur would be an echocardiogram, or a heart ultrasound, to determine the source of the murmur and the level of concern.”

Watching the murmur

Early heart murmur diagnosis during a pet’s regular checkup can lead to earlier intervention and a better prognosis and outcome.

“Identifying murmurs in young animals is important because some defects at birth may require lifelong medications, or there may be procedures or treatments that are recommended to help your pet based on the underlying condition,” Eisner said.

“Some pets, dogs especially, will ‘outgrow’ their murmur, meaning that it will go away as they age,” Eisner said. “However, as your pet grows and the murmur persists, or if the murmur is loud, it warrants further evaluation.”

Eisner said owners should schedule an appointment with a veterinarian before their pet’s annual checkup if they notice any of the following symptoms, which indicate an animal may have a significant heart disease:

• Increased respiratory rate/effort
• Coughing
• Resistance to exercise
• Collapsing

Keep calm and check up 

If an owner suspects that their young pet has a heart murmur, it is worth a discussion with a veterinarian, whether it be your primary veterinarian or through consultation with a board-certified veterinary cardiologist. 

“Some of the more benign reasons for heart murmurs may just require periodical follow up with a veterinarian, while some may require further treatment or activity restriction,” Eisner said.

Eisner notes that a heart murmur detected in a routine physical of your young pet is not a cause for panic.

“Your veterinary health care team will help you through the process of further recommendations as far as diagnosis and treatment,” Eisner said. “If you are concerned, a consultation with a veterinary cardiologist is often the best option for getting definitive diagnosis and recommendations.”

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Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to vmbs-editor@tamu.edu.