Puppy with a heart murmur - wwyd?

[LorelaiVictoriaGilmore]

I’m due to pick up my puppy from the breeder on Friday. Breeder emailed me today to say that puppy had a grade 1 heart murmur spotted in her health check today. No other health issues. Offered me a full refund if I wanted it or opportunity to speak to her vet and to get her checked by my vet next week. Spoke to the breeder’s vet today - she was reassuring - said the puppy was checked by two vets at the practice who agreed there was a very, very faint murmur. Vet’s view is that it is likely to resolve or at least never get any worse. Described it as low risk but not no risk. I am going to have to go on what the breeder’s vet has said - although I’ll discuss it with my vet too, I’d be surprised if she says any different. I couldn’t pick the puppy up and then return her - I don’t have a heart of stone!! What should I do? This is a much longer for puppy and I have spent a very long time on waiting lists but I don’t want to make a silly decision just because I am longing to bring her home!

I can't really help but I had a cat with a heart murmur that lived to be 21. When I took her in to be PTS the vet said she was the oldest cat she had ever seen.

Thats a tricky one, i have a dog with a heart murmur who is 14 (15 in jan!) And hes been on medication for it for years. His IS worse than your puppy though by the sounds of it. I've had dogs where heart murmurs havent affected them at all and ones they have. I would ask the vets to email you all the info and the diagnosis and get a second opinion maybe? If its not likely to get worse or resolve then I would think it would all be okay but definitely ask a second opinion xxx

I had a similar situation when we got our spaniel puppy in 2018. I took him for his 2nd jab and the vet noticed a heart murmur. (This was never noticed at previous health checks).

I was devastated! The vet was very negative and told me to take him back.
We adored our puppy and taking him back was no option as it would be too upsetting for us.
We kept him and we have had no problem at all he is now just over 2 years old and crazy as ever!
He has a grade 1/2 heart murmur.

We visited a specialist vet who advised us that heart murmurs can disappear as the puppy develops ( They recommend to get it rechecked after 18 weeks old because they can tell at this point if it has gone or a lifetime condition).

Hopefully your puppy's heart murmur will go away or not affect them. Definitely have a good think about what you want to do, it is a horrible situation but only you can decide what you want to do.

If the heart murmur gets worse it can cost thousands, i would have a chat to the vet and see what the treatment costs are.

I would definitely NOT be paying full price for the puppy, the breeder gave us 50% of the price paid back.

Hope this helps!

Really helpful - thanks. I think at the moment I am thinking that I will carry on as planned. I’m worried about adding more worry/expense to my life but cancelling getting the puppy or going through medical tests at a point where they might be completely unnecessary seems like an overreaction... that said, getting our puppy was meant to be so joyful and now I feel so anxious about it

Be very wary. Better to give back and have another from the next litter before this pup is your best friend.

You have no idea how / if this will progress. The murmur any anything they can possibly hint at linking to it will be uninsurable . Just check how much a cardiac ECHO would cost ( probably with sedation too ) as there will be some of those in your future abs ongoing preventative meds etc

And that before you think about shortened lifespan and the utter heartbreak of that.

One of my puppies brothers had a shunt in his liver where blood was passive from arterial to venous through an abnormal circulation. Found when he didn’t do well at 3-4 months many thousands spend on scans and specialist surgery got a bit of improvement but he relapsed and was put down shortly after age 1😭. Heartbroken family. I would definitely not have I puppy a knew had a health issue with a probably poor outcome after seeing that.

Physiological (non pathological) murmurs aren't uncommon in puppies but without knowing the breed or type of murmur it's impossible to comment. I'd want a cardiac referral for echo and assessment by a cardiologist before committing.

My lovely Boxer had a heart murmur, it didn't cause any problems and he died aged 8 of unrelated problems. It might be worth getting a second opinion.

Our most recent kittens from Battersea were both diagnosed with grade 1 murmurs before we collected them. Battersea were clearly VERY pleased that we still went ahead (they assumed we'd turn them down due to insurance problems)

At their first year check up neither had a murmur any more.

When I took my puppy for her second vaccinations and check up the vet said she had a mild heart murmur (this was several years ago so can't remember the grade or anything).

Anyway she has been checked dozens of times since then and no sign of any murmur!

My doggy has a heart murmur. Never picked up until this year (she's near 6) her alter ego is still a bouncy ball. I was devastated but she is no where near needing medications or poorly. My vet advised around 10 or so she may need a bit of help but they are not worried at all

Our dog has a grade 2 heart murmur which was picked up during a vet check at around 2. We adopted him at 12 months and if it had been picked up before no-one told us (we'd had contact with previous owner and breeder).

He's 11 and it hasn't affected him so far and we have chosen not to have further tests unless we need to as we don't want to medicate him unnecessarily.
But, the tests alone we were told would be £1200-1500 and monthly medication costs would likely be high. There would be no insurance that would cover any heart issues.
A friend's dog was on heart medication for years which was costly.

I don't think I'd knowingly take on a pup with a pre-existing condition personally unless I knew I had the time and financial resources to be able to manage any eventualities.
I think the heartache of a dog being ill is always a risk you take and our dogs aren't meant to outlive us so that in itself wouldn't stop me.

Insurance is the issue here

A pre-existing condition may not be covered at all, or will have a lengthy exclusion period and much higher premiums

Can you afford to self-fund, in the event the puppy does nit grow out if it?

I suppose you need to think practically as well as emotionally.

Can you afford to take on a puppy where you are unlikely to get any kind of insurance? Medication (if needed) could be expensive. Not to mention any health issues or accidents which are unrelated to the murmur.

Our puppy had a grade 1 heart murmur at his eight week check when he had his microchip. No sign of a murmur at his recent ‘mot’. I know when he had his he wasn’t referred as grade 1/2 murmurs are likely to clear up before 4/5 months of age.

Its common for young puppies to have a mild murmur, especially large breeds and they usually grow out of it.

I was once told by a police officer that a dog is seen as property in the eyes of the law, not an actual life...as harsh as this sounds, you will be buying an item that is not as stated. I wouldn't pay full price for a faulty product, which is what you would be doing.

Agree with others that insurance could be a big issue and if the pup requires lifelong treatment or medication... the costs will be massive. No insurance is risky. My sister just had to spend 11k on vets Bill's for completely un predicted illness.

I know it's a hard decision though. We got our puppy from a 'licensed breeder ' but after we paid the deposit, lots of things didnt add up and though he was licensed, I think he was not much off a puppy farm. Should have walked but was too invested. (Have spent £ on weird teeth since).In your case if you know already of potential medical issues I'd discuss it further with breeder. Huge discount or part payment now and follow up when murmur hopefully clear? Wouldn't necessarily wait for next litter if decide against it, as could be genetic . What a dilemma !

@BBOA

I know it's a hard decision though. We got our puppy from a 'licensed breeder ' but after we paid the deposit, lots of things didnt add up and though he was licensed, I think he was not much off a puppy farm. Should have walked but was too invested. (Have spent £ on weird teeth since).In your case if you know already of potential medical issues I'd discuss it further with breeder. Huge discount or part payment now and follow up when murmur hopefully clear? Wouldn't necessarily wait for next litter if decide against it, as could be genetic . What a dilemma !

Licensing is a legal requirement for any breeder producing 3 litters a year.

It doesn't confer any quality standards

Ooooh, lots more replies! I did go ahead with the puppy in the end (she is currently asleep on my feet) after a lot of back and forth. I am still a bit nervous but both the breeder’s vet and my vet were pretty reassuring that the most likely outcomes were the murmur resolving or not getting any worse. I also checked with my insurance company and they said that it would be covered initially. We could cover some level of vet’s bills although not thousands and thousands (at least, not all at once) and I thought that whenever you take on a puppy you are taking on risk. Vet described this as low risk but not no risk. I’m taking her to my vet for a check up tomorrow - fingers crossed.