Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common are harmless heart murmurs in healthy young dogs
By Drut, A et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2015·Service de Mé, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of physiological heart murmurs in a population of 95 healthy young adult dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 95 healthy young adult dogs, aged 1 to 5 years, was examined for heart murmurs during routine check-ups. Heart murmurs were found in 22 of the dogs, but most were classified as low-grade and not associated with any heart problems. These murmurs are considered physiological, meaning they are not harmful and can occur in healthy dogs. The study suggests that heart murmurs can be common in young adult dogs, not just puppies or certain breeds, and they typically do not indicate any underlying health issues.
People also search for: dog heart murmur symptoms · healthy dog heart murmur · young dog heart problems
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of physiological heart murmurs in healthy young adult dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Healthy dogs aged between 1 and 5 years were enrolled prospectively. All participating dogs underwent physical examination, urinalysis, blood testing and blood pressure measurement. Cardiac auscultations were performed by three independent examiners. Dogs with heart murmurs underwent echocardiography, to exclude cardiovascular abnormalities. RESULTS: Of 109 dogs evaluated, 95 completed the study. Heart murmurs were detected in 22 dogs. Interobserver agreement for murmur detection was moderate to fair (weighted kappa 0 · 29-0 · 56). On the basis of two different sets of echocardiographic criteria, physiological heart murmurs were diagnosed in 6 and 11 dogs, respectively, giving a prevalence of 6-12%. All physiological heart murmurs were systolic and low-grade (I-III/VI). Most were louder towards the left heart base and some radiated up to the thoracic inlet. The epidemiological features of dogs with physiological heart murmurs did not differ significantly from those of dogs without murmurs (P > 0 · 10). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows that physiological heart murmurs may not be limited to growing dogs or specific breeds, as they were commonly encountered in this population of healthy young adult dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25440774/