Re: [pyrnet] Re: Heart Murmurs

["Linda Weisser" <lmweisser@attbi.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: <Oliverslb@aol.com>

<<Upon examination, this vet detected a heart murmur and said that it may be
due to the terrible infections he had for so long and has affected one his
heart valves specifically.
I was wondering if anyone has been able to successfully treat a heart murmur
in their Pyrs and how.  >>

A heart murmur is a symptom and not a disease.  In that sense you cannot
treat the murmur.  The first step to understanding what is happening is to
get as specific a diagnosis as possible of the cause of the murmur.  If your
vet is not *absolutely* sure of what is causing it, you might consider a
consult with a veterinary cardiologist.  In the end the only totally sure
way may be a cardiac ultrasound and those are quite expensive and not always
the most sensible route.

It is possible that the murmur is from his infection but that is not the
most likely cause.  Murmurs can be
"innocent" in that they simply exist but do not indicate a serious
underlying disease.  My daughter has had such a murmur since birth.  In
those cases you do nothing.  OTOH, the murmur may be a symptom of a more
serious inherited, congenital, developmental problem.  Heart problems in
dogs can be partially managed with drugs.  Surgery is both expensive and
often not helpful.

For information about genetic heart problems go here:
http://www.upei.ca/~cidd/intro.htm
And then scroll down and choose:
"Inherited cardiovascular disorders"

This was an excellent cardiology site.  it has been redone and I have not
gone through it since, but a quick glance looks promising.
http://www.vetgo.com/cardio/index.php

Linda Weisser
Great Pyrenees Club of America
Co-chair--Health Information Committee
lmweisser@attbi.com