Having just taken the pup for normal check  up I am devestated to be told she has a heart murmur.. can anyone let me know of their experiences with this, does it get better?  Worried sick, it was a new vet who I had not seen before and he was painting the gloomiest picture.

Usually it's cleared by the time the second injection is given.  It's impossible to tell at 7 weeks if it's simply a lack of maturity in the heart or if it's going to stay a murmur.  Mostly they're cleared in a few weeks unless it's a really bad one.

You are not the first person for this to happen to, feel so sorry for you, it is becoming a common occurrence where a vet will scare the life out of a new owner what they do not tell you is that the majority of the time the pups heart will settle as it grows, in the meantime hundreds are spent on tests and sometimes even medication, not to mention return check up fees for all to be well between 6-12 months.

I once spoke to a retired vet, old school who said it was all to make money, and that vets today don't allow for the heart to settle with age.

I'd love to say don't bother take the pup back in 6-12 months and don't be drawn in, if there is a problem it will still be there later or hopefully gone away and cost you nothing.

However, I know if there really were a problem  and the heart murmur got worse and worse that would be a mistake and I wouldn't wish such a mistake to happen, your vets have you over a barrel.

What I will say is go to another vet, get a second opinion at a different practice and if that vet spots nothing, or is not worried at all, change vets and thank your lucky stars you found a vet who is not after every bit of money they can get from you.

I take it you will be on the free KC/petplan insurance right now, but that will run out soon so before your free insurance runs out get to a new vet for hopefully an all clear so that nothing will show up when you start your new insurance as it will up the costs.

Feel so sorry for you, I'm cynically sure she will have nothing showing up by the time she is 12 months.

You need to let the breeder know and make sure that you ask if there are any heart issues in the line. I'm so sorry you and the breeder will be left in a whirlwind of worry for a while, I hope that all turns out well.

Would change your vet, no vet right or wrong should be worrying you like that - the truth of the matter is you would be hard put to find a pup that young that did not have a heart murmur. No matter what the vet heard or did not hear they should not scare you they should tell you to come back at six months or if they think it really is a problem then make an appointment with a specialist to get treatment under way.

IMO your pup has a normal puppy murmur but as has been said now the vet has laid it on with a trowel all you can do is see another vet and in the unlikely case they say the same then ask to see a specialist. How long have you had your pup 7 weeks seems young.

> Would change your vet, no vet right or wrong should be worrying you like that - the truth of the matter is you would be hard put to find a pup that young that did not have a heart murmur.

I have to take issue with that. Although murmurs do seem common in pups it s hardly normal. I get all my pups checked and would be seriously concerned if I found that most of them had murmurs

I have to take issue with that. Although murmurs do seem common in pups it s hardly normal. I get all my pups checked and would be seriously concerned if I found that most of them had murmurs

Ditto -I've never had a pup with a heart murmur. I know it is common and if often sorts itself out, but I've still never had one -whether it was one I'd bred or bought.

I do think it is cropping up more with the puppy vaccination schedules being brought forward from the previous 9-10 and 12 weeks to 8 and 10, when obviously the pups are more immature.

Even when they weren't vaccinated till 10 weeks they were still vet-checked at 7 or 8 weeks, and murmurs were very much a rarity.

There are different types of murmur and what you really need is a cardiologist who will scan and detail the heart

A chest xray might be in order but I'd certainly wait a while  if pup is otherwise outwardly healthy...

> Having just taken the pup for normal check  up I am devestated to be told she has a heart murmur.. can anyone let me know of their experiences with this, does it get better?

did the vet give you a grade? murmurs are graded from 1-5 with 1 the least serious. It is not really possible for us to help much without knowing a bit more about the actual type of murmur and the grade.
One option you would have is to take the pup back to the breeder. Hard to do I know but if the puppy is badly affected you might save yourself a lot of heart ache. A reputable breeder should take the pup back and give you a full refund.

Grading is 1-6. :)

sorry, I wasn't 100% sure guessed at the wrong one. But without knowing how serious the murmur is we still can't advise properly

It could be a perfectly innocent flow murmer which may disappear by 16 weeks old.
In our breed (Boxers) we have a puppy handout sheet to give to all new puppy owners http://www.boxerbreedcouncil.co.uk/handout.htm
Hopefully to allay the fears of the new purchaser when they go to their own vet.

However if your puppy was bought in and did not have insurance until they have given pup all clear you won't
be covered for any 'pre-exisiting' condition and the heart murmur will be classed as pre-existing.
Heart conditions can be expensive.

It might be worth discussing this with puppy's breeder and see.
Depends how bad they've graded the murmur and if they think it's a flow murmur or not.

Well seems I am wrong but I have been told that at 7 weeks flow murmurs are not at all unusual.

But I still maintain that no vet has a right to upset an owner without offering a referral - would repeat change your vet.

Definitely go and see another vet and don't panic. 

My story is slightly different and involves a cat but it may ease your mind slightly.....took my cat to the vets, generally unwell, very lethargic and couldn't miow.  Anyway stupid me forgot to book with the normal vet I see and I saw a locum, he told me within mins my previously perfectly healthy 9 year old cat had a heart murmur and 2 leaky valves.  He did not give a good prognosis and also he said my cat had laryngitis.  Anyway I was not happy at all and took my cat back to the vet on the Monday to see my normal vet....long story short, after numerous tests etc we discovered my cat was having an asthma attack.  The normal vet also stated my cat does not and has never had a heart murmur or leaky valves and definitely didn't have laryngitis. 

So moral of the story if you are not happy go and see another vet who you trust!

I to would try to find another vet. One of the pups I bred 6 years ago has just had an emergency spey for pyo and cystic ovaries. The owners vet diagnosed a pulled muscle !! only my insistance that she sought a second opinion saved her life. Changing vets however will not take the diagnosis off the insurance so I would stick with the free one and renew it asap to lifetime cover as no other company will now cover heart problems.
Aileen

I agree with the majority - more than likely a flow murmur, don't panic unless it's still there at the 2nd vaccination, and even then get a 2nd opinion from a more knowledgable vet who knows that it's not uncommon to have a murmur at that age.

Agree it would have been helpful to have a grading. A grade 1 is more often than not a late closure which will have disappeared by the 2nd vaccination and while it will leave you holding your breath until that time,it will more than likely go. If graded a 3 or 4 I would be a lot more concerned.

hi my auntie had a pup with heart murmur, and they graded his high not sure wat score tho
was told he would be able to do certain things, and wouldnt be able to mate or get excited,
he runs over the park he managed to mate my aunties other dog luckily enough was taken straight to vets,
plays with all his toys and is doing really well, hes even been put to sleep to be castrated which they wasnt sure he would ever be able to do
so there is still a chance its not all bad for him
hope everything turns out well for you

Was your puppy stressed? Stress can cause temp murmurs, being a collie that would be high on the list. And just age.

Wait a little while longer, when you next go try to arrange the appt for the end or beginning of surgery to avoid all other animals and see how the appt goes. Make sure the vet does a heart check prior to vaccines or microchips to avoid stress again. If still there and safe to do so wait for a month and see what happens. A murmur in a collie would be rare,I suspect an age issue. Have you contacted the breeder and asked about the other pups? Or if she's had it happen before?