# Grade 5 heart murmur (foster dog)



## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Sorry I don't have any useful info for you on heart murmurs, but just wanted to say he sounds like a sweet little guy and so happy he might have a home.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Wow, I have had a few pets with murmurs, Cappi was my latest with a murmur she had a grade 4 with no meds, no dietary or exercise restrictions. I guess all comes down to whether or not if the condition is stable or rapidly worsening and quality of life. 

Which brings me to Holly the cat she went from a kitten murmur to full blow cardiomyopathy at age 2 and she died of a heart attack during dental surgery at age 6 she was on meds most of her life and a low sodium diet. 

Her quality of life was not great I guess it could have been worse but she was grumpy, aggressive and slept most of the time (more than usual for a cat) she didn't groom herself which lead to regular bathing and brushing on my part.

I figure as long as your foster boy is happy, on meds and feeling good that all that matters. So long as there are no restrictions, then treat him like you would any 11-12 year old dogs. Mindful of sudden changes in behavior etc as you would any other elder dog., 


It's nice to know that there are other people( the possible adopter) who aren't afraid of a medically challenged (I mean that in the best possible ways) pets. I have a real soft spot for the misfits and seniors.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Well yes Tangee had a 5-6. Teaka has a 2, and what I have learned from the Cardiologist is that you cannot necessarily tell the type or degree of disease by the murmur, you need an ultrasound. Depending upon which heart valve it is, the degree of risk, and what medications will be needed will differ. They also need to see if there is pulmonary hypertension.
If the funds are not there to see the cardiologist, then I would presume the worst and discourage exercise and excitement.
There is a free app that you can download called Cardalis that you can use to track the breathing rate and set medication reminders. They say that increased breathing rate is the first sign of heat failure, but Tangee never had an increased rate - she went into failure at the Vet hospital.
Let me know if you have any other questions.


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