HEART HEALTH
LISTEN • TEST • RECORD • PROTECT
A healthy heart is essential to a dog's ability to exercise, recover, breathe comfortably and live a full life.
Heart health cannot always be judged by looking at a dog. Some heart conditions may produce obvious symptoms, while others may initially be discovered during a routine veterinary examination or health screening.
WHAT DOES THE HEART DO?
“YOU CANNOT SEE A HEART PROBLEM JUST BY LOOKING AT A DOG.”
The heart pumps blood around the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the organs and tissues.
For the body to function properly, the heart, lungs and circulation must work together efficiently.
SIGNS THAT DESERVE INVESTIGATION
- Unusual tiredness or reduced stamina
- Difficulty exercising or recovering after exercise
- Coughing
- Rapid or unusual breathing at rest
- Weakness
- Collapse or fainting
- Swollen abdomen
- Pale or bluish gums
- A heart murmur detected by a veterinary professional
Some dogs with heart disease may show few obvious signs in the early stages. This is why examination, appropriate testing and honest lifetime health recording matter.
“A HEART MURMUR TELLS US WHAT THE VET CAN HEAR — NOT, BY ITSELF, WHY IT IS HAPPENING.”
GRADE 1 — Very faint
GRADE 2 — Soft but clearly heard
GRADE 3 — Moderately loud
GRADE 4 — Loud
GRADE 5 — Very loud; a vibration called a thrill may be felt through the chest
GRADE 6 — Extremely loud; can be heard with the stethoscope slightly lifted from the chest
“LOUDER DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY TELL YOU THE EXACT CAUSE OR SEVERITY OF HEART DISEASE.”
HEART MURMURS
A SOUND — NOT A DIAGNOSIS
A heart murmur is an unusual sound heard when listening to the heart with a stethoscope. Normally, blood moves through the heart in an organised way. A murmur is created when blood flow becomes turbulent enough to produce an additional sound.
NOT ALL MURMURS MEAN THE SAME THING
A murmur may be associated with a structural heart problem, changes affecting blood flow, or in some young puppies it may be an innocent or temporary finding. This is why the presence of a murmur should be recorded and interpreted alongside the dog's age, examination and, where appropriate, further investigation.
MURMUR GRADES
Veterinary professionals commonly grade heart murmurs according to how loud they sound.
Finding a murmur is the beginning of a question — not the complete answer. Where there is concern, further investigation can help establish what is causing the abnormal blood flow and whether it is affecting the dog's health.
HEART MURMURS IN PUPPIES
A MURMUR TODAY DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN HEART DISEASE FOR LIFE
Finding a heart murmur during a puppy examination can sound frightening, but not every puppy murmur is caused by structural heart disease. Some young puppies can have an innocent or physiological murmur which disappears as they grow and their circulation develops.
“A PUPPY MURMUR SHOULD BE FOLLOWED UP — NOT AUTOMATICALLY LABELLED AS LIFELONG HEART DISEASE.”
WHY RECHECK?
A murmur detected at one examination may sound different or no longer be present when the puppy is examined again. Rechecking allows the veterinary professional to establish whether the murmur is disappearing, remaining unchanged or becoming more significant.
MURMUR DETECTED
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RECORD THE FINDING
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RECHECK AS ADVISED
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HAS IT DISAPPEARED OR PERSISTED?
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INVESTIGATE FURTHER IF REQUIRED
WHEN FURTHER INVESTIGATION MATTERS
A persistent murmur, a louder murmur, an unusual murmur pattern, other abnormal examination findings or symptoms may justify further investigation. Symptoms such as poor growth, unusual tiredness, breathing difficulty, weakness, collapse or reduced ability to exercise should never simply be dismissed because the dog is young.
“RECORD IT. RECHECK IT. INVESTIGATE IT WHEN NEEDED.”
The important information is not simply that a puppy once had a murmur. The useful health record includes when it was detected, what happened at subsequent examinations and whether a cause was eventually identified.
HEART TESTING
LISTENING IS THE START — NOT ALWAYS THE FINISH
Listening to the heart with a stethoscope is an important part of a health examination, but it cannot show everything happening inside the heart.
If a murmur, abnormal rhythm, symptoms or other concerns are found, further testing may be recommended.
STETHOSCOPE
Used to listen for heart sounds, murmurs and rhythm abnormalities.
ECHOCARDIOGRAM
An ultrasound scan that allows the heart's structure, valves and movement to be assessed.
ECG
Records the electrical activity and rhythm of the heart.
CHEST IMAGING
X-rays or other imaging may help assess heart size, lungs and changes within the chest.
“ONE TEST DOES NOT TELL US EVERYTHING — THE RIGHT TEST DEPENDS ON WHAT WE ARE INVESTIGATING.”
Testing should answer a question. Results should be recorded and kept as part of the dog's lifetime health history.
HEART DISEASE IS NOT ONE CONDITION
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING WRONG
“Heart disease” is an umbrella term. Different conditions can affect different parts of the heart and they do not all behave in the same way.
VALVES
Heart valves control the direction of blood flow. If a valve does not work correctly, blood may leak backwards and create abnormal blood flow.
HEART MUSCLE
Disease can affect the heart muscle itself, changing how effectively the heart contracts and pumps blood around the body.
RHYTHM
The heart relies on electrical signals to maintain an effective rhythm. Abnormal rhythms are called arrhythmias and can range from minor findings to significant health problems.
CONGENITAL CONDITIONS
Some heart abnormalities are present from birth. These can involve the valves, blood vessels or the structure of the heart itself.
“THE NAME OF THE CONDITION MATTERS — NOT JUST THE WORD ‘MURMUR’.”
When a heart abnormality is identified, understanding the actual diagnosis gives owners and breeders far more useful information than simply recording that a dog has, or once had, a heart murmur.
DENTAL HEALTH & THE HEART
THE MOUTH IS PART OF THE WHOLE DOG
Dental disease is not only a problem inside the mouth.
Severe periodontal disease causes inflammation and allows bacteria from around diseased gums to enter the bloodstream.
“ROTTEN TEETH SHOULD NEVER BE ACCEPTED AS A NORMAL PART OF A DOG GETTING OLDER.”
Good dental care supports the dog's overall health as well as keeping the mouth comfortable.
HEART HEALTH & RESPONSIBLE BREEDING
FOLLOW THE HEART FOR LIFE
Heart health should not be judged from one examination at one point in a dog's life.
A dog may have a normal heart examination when young and develop a heart condition later.
“HEALTH INFORMATION SHOULD NOT STOP BEING COLLECTED ONCE A DOG HAS BEEN BRED FROM.”
WHAT SHOULD BREEDERS RECORD?
- Heart examination and testing results
- Murmurs and follow-up examinations
- Confirmed heart diagnoses
- Relevant information from close relatives
- Heart problems that develop later in life
BBU encourages honest lifetime health recording. Good results matter — but so does recording problems when they appear.