Help! Heart Murmer!

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Archived Message

Help! Heart Murmer!
by David
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Help! Heart Murmer! Help! Can anyone give me any info on heart murmers and maltese puppies? Is this a trait in the breed? We recently bought a new puupy from a breeder (12 wks). Our vet heard a faint murmer...said we must watch it ovr time. Possible cardiologist check pre- surgery (neuter). Can anyone give me any info on this? Also, has anyone ever seen a small bump appear post vaccination? Our puppy has a 1 cm bump in the same place (I believe) he rcvd his rabies vaccine. Any info would be appreciated.

DISCUSSION:

Hi David! My BriAnna has a heart murmur. She is 1 year and 3 months old and I found out when she was 5 months old. It is not a trait in the breed. The only thing my vet told me about her heart murmur is to make sure she does NOT get stressed out. Other than that, he said her life expectancy isn't shorter because of the murmur. She does get out of breath quicker than my other 2 girls after she's playing. As far as the bump from the rabies shot - it sounds like a reaction from the shot. Call your vet on this and he may prescribe something for your baby to take to heal that lump.
Angel

Many dogs have heart mumurs, and they vary in severity. A mild one may not cause any problems, and sometimes in young puppies they do improve. I would inform the breeder, as I'm sure they would want to know. A severe mumur can be a sign of heart disease, so I think your vet's advice of having a cardiology consult before surgery is a good idea. As for the bump, sometimes they get a local reaction to the vaccine, and a small lump is not uncommon, but give your vet a call just to make sure.
Aimee

David, can't help you out about the heart murmer except to send good thoughts. The bump at the rabies shot site is, I believe, fairly usual. Lucy got one and the vet said it often happens. It should go away in a few days or so. Good luck with the new baby.
cathy brown

I answered another question related to "bumps" on this site yesterday. My Mandi always gets one whenever she gets her shots. It may last several weeks and sometimes does not show up right away after her shots. It will go away. ( You should mention it to your vet on the next visit anyway so he can mark the chart.) The last series of vacinations Mandi received she had an allergic reaction and had to be given an injection of benedryl hours afterwards. The safest policy is to always tell your vet. because you never know what might develop later on down the line. Good luck,
Zee

I hope your baby will be alright I do not know anything on heart murmurs nor have I heard of this in Maltese to be frequent.However I can tell you about the small bump from the shot It is quite common after a shot that the medication stays in that spot for a little while creating the lump. Nothing to be concerned about.
Diana Marie

Just to let you know that I just had an experience with my yorkie last week. He had his shots two weeks ago, and the following week he went to be groomed. The groomer alerted me that she found a lump and thought it was a tumor. I was frantic! It was the size of a walnut. That evening I went to my vet and she said it was probably from the shot. She drained it and looked at it under a slide and told me to put warm compresses on it and massage it. It is now a week later and it is almost gone. It was a frightening experience! Check it out anyway with your vet..
glorya

David, I'm sorry to hear your baby has a heart murmur. My last girl also had this. It is something you definitely should keep an eye on especially as BriAnna gets older. The murmur my girl had wasn't discovered until she was about 4 years old - when it gets serious though your Vet will prescribe pills and you should be sure to give them to her. Another thing to watch is her weight as this too-besides stress- will add to the heart problem. I lost my girl a year ago due to heart failure and she was only 8 (almost 9) years old. I was totally devistated. With the proper medication and diet I'm sure your girl will live a nice, long life. Best wishes to you and your BriAnna. Oh, also I would definitely let the breeder know (this is serious).
Robin D.

Thank you all for your help and advice...it is very helpful to have support and information from others who truly love this breed! Thanks again.
David