Relatively young dog with heart murmur...

Hello all,

I am hoping someone could offer me some optimism regarding my dog's diagnosis with a heart murmur.

Firstly -- I lost a dog a year and a half ago who suffered with a grade 5 murmur. She had seen a cardiologist and was on a slew of medications, but ultimately she had a heart attack at home. She was my little soul mate and I am still absolutely devastated over the loss. She was 10 at the time and a small breed, so it wasn't all that unusual for her to have developed a leaky mitral valve.

Since then I have rescued another dog. She is suspected to be some type of Pomeranian mix and approximately 3-4 years old. She was found living in a cardboard box and was completely emaciated. Obviously we don't know anything about her history, but she is heartworm negative (I've read that murmurs can sometimes be related to being heartworm positive). No other health issues and the happiest little thing you've ever seen. VERY playful and active, good appetite, etc. I've seen no negative changes in her since we adopted her. The first visit to the vet we were told she had a murmur and I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I could not help but think of my first baby that dealt with this issue. The vet suggested that at some point we visit the cardiologist for an echo, but he did not think it needed to be done ASAP. Because my husband was still dealing with cancer treatments we decided to wait a couple months, but now we are ready to take her and I am TERRIFIED. My other dog was diagnosed with a murmur when she was older (8/9) so I don't know what to think of this one being diagnosed so young. From what I understand most murmurs in young dogs usually resolve themselves long before the age she is now.

The only physical symptom she has is a cough when she has been super active (REALLY exerted herself), otherwise nothing. I am just hoping someone can give me some hope with this, as all I can think of is this ending up the way it has before and I don't think I could take it again

You really need to know what grade this murmer is before you start to panic.
There are so many variables, and many dogs with lower grade murmers still lead full normal lives.

The most common form of heart disease in the small breeds is related to valvular insufficiency. These show themselves as heart murmurs. We veterinarians grade these murmurs in order to monitor them in case they change. If your pet goes from a grade 2 to a grade 4 in a short time, then there would be concern with the prognosis. If a grade 2 murmur is still a grade 2 after several years, not so much concern. One thing to remember, is that there are very few drugs that are effective for the dog's heart until it becomes seriously diseased. That is why we don't do anything for early heart murmurs even though the heart is not normal. If your dog has a heart murmur and the vet does not prescribe anything, I would start your dog on a couple of natural remedies that will help with heart function. I like using Coenzyme Q10 and Hawthorne berry to improve cardiovascular health. They will likely slow down the progression of the diseased heart. Good luck.