Hi

My friend has just taken her boxer pup (10 weeks old) for a check up at the vet and he told her the pup had a heart murmur. He gave her the phone number of a specialist who informed her that it is totally fine, and she shouldn't have any problems. She seems fine with this advice, but I would like the opinion of experienced boxer owners and breeders on this matter. Should she consult the breeders on the health of the pup?

Thanks for any advice

Hi Lisa, I dont own a Boxer but a Dobe I also was told Sydney had a heart mummer (8 weeks) he was checked at 10 weeks and 12 weeks at it had gone. Normal for pups and will go. I am sure that somebody who breeds/owns boxers will be along soon to give you more advice. Tell you friend not to worry to much

im picking up a boxer pup in 9 days both his parents are heart test 0. i was also informed by a breeder that they all have a slight murmer and the best time to get them checked is a year. i have no experience only knowledge that i have picked up on the way to finding a pup.
wait around for a bit because there are a few experienced boxer owners and breeders who have helped me along the way to finding a pup.

Hi Em - how is your pup doing? You happy with the breeder etc after your inital concerns?

Chloe :)

yes thanks chloe, we pick little bradley up on the 14/6. when we went to look at him he came straight over to me and sat on me. the dame who hates men went and sat next to my partner. decision was made for the pup and myself. then after and hour of fuss and cuddles he went to sleep on my 8 year old daughter. hes very cuddley and quite confident, the breeder was very happy letting the puppy come and live with us, probably because the dam was very affectionate towards my partner. he must have a little vibe.
perfect, hes absolutely beautiful can't wait
em

Ahhh - sounds lovely. Remember to get him solicalised as well as possible to avoid any problems with him and men - but with a cute puppy you will probably have to beat people off from fussing him - I couldn't walk down the street with Will without being stopped 50 times!

weve got him booked into two socialising classes at the vets and a further one at the local dog trainer as he is a singleton. (luckily its his mum that does not like men even though she lives with two).
he is lovely, fawn with a black mask with a little white on his nose with short jowls, he looks just like his dad who i might add is a very large powerful looking dog
so its hard to think little bradley will grow this big.
im trying to buy him toys that will complement his natural insticts which im looking forward to. instead of poop scoops, brushes, tooth brush etc
emma

Don't worry unduly,
there is a site on the internet for the UK Boxer heart list.
Go to http://www.boxerunderground.com/uk
On this list is all the KC names of the dogs that have been heart-tested clear.
There should also be other info about aortic stenosis on this site and hopefully the heart
booklet, which should have a puppy handout information sheet, which would have explained
the puppy flow murmers (Really Boxer breeders should be giving this out with their puppy packs)
Puppy flow murmers are quite common and do disappear once they reach a certain age.
However you can get puppies heart-tested along with the adults at breed shows
There is a breed show this weekend at Bisley Rifle Range, Surrey which is holding heart-testing
session, it costs £7.50 per dog. A vet that specialises in cardiology does the testing by stethascope
and the grades are from 0 (best) to 6 (worst) only grades 0 and 1 are considered clear for
breeding purposes.
Dogs will only go on the heart clear list after they are tested clear once they reach 1 year old and over.
But you can still have your younger dogs tested, it's just you'll need to test them again once
they reach 1 y.o. I did this with one of my Boxer pups out of interest, she tested clear.
My old veteran was a grade 1 murmer and she lived til she was 10 yo.
I have a 5 y.o. bitch grade 1 murmer and she's a maniac :)
and I have her daughter, 2 y.o. and graded 0, she's the pup.
Ideally when ever going to look at a litter of pups you should always ask to see the heart test certificate
and the dam should be 0 or 1 and if they own the father (sire) you should be able to see his too,
if not go to the site address as above & you'll be able to see his grade if he tested 0 or 1.
Kindest Regards
Kirstine :)