In the event that your dog has a heart murmur, it indicates an abnormal amount of blood flow within the heart of your canine. This can be due to a change in your dog’s heart valves and their function or a number of other possible causes. There may be an abnormal communication better the left and the right side of your pup’s heart and this can lead to your dog having a heart murmur. There may be a variety of reasons for this. They may either be acquired or congenital. This usually means that the heart was affected after your pooch was born due to disease or age. There are two types of heart murmurs in dogs. The first is what is called a benign heart murmur and does not concern your dog’s health. On the other hand, it may be a serious heart murmur which may indicate congestive heart failure in dogs.

Dog heart murmur symptoms may involve the following: bluish tinge to the gums or tongue, poor exercise ability, coughing, labored breathing and even fainting. Some of these symptoms would suggest that your pup may have other health issues. However, the symptoms are similar between benign heart murmurs and those that are more severe in nature. If you are at all concerned about your canine’s health, you should consult your veterinarian. A couple of these symptoms may be overlooked which would include poor exercise ability and a bluish tinge to the gums. If you think that your dog has any dog heart murmur symptoms, canine heart disease or the development of congestive heart failure, immediately contact your vet for a positive diagnosis.

These are symptoms that indicate that something serious is going on with your dog’s health. The best way to identify the source and severity of the dog’s heart murmur is to conduct a thorough physical examination by a veterinarian, however sometimes additional testing is needed including a heart ultrasound, blood testing, an EKG and chest x-rays. The ultrasound offers a particularly enticing list of benefits because it allows your veterinarian to measure the extent of the murmur, defining whatever the cause of the underlying heart disease may be. It is vital that you be able to properly diagnose the cause of your dog’s heart condition because some conditions that cause heart murmurs are treatable, either through surgery or through medication.

If your dog has a congenital heart murmur, surgery may be a viable solution to eliminate the problems it creates. On the other hand, specific types of medication may be necessary because non congenital heart murmurs are often an underlying symptom of congestive heart failure in dogs. You cannot be sure about which treatment is going to be the right path to proceed with until you have consulted the right veterinarian and received advice regarding the health of your dog. You should never leave symptoms like these to chance, because not every heart murmur is benign, and serious changes could be occurring in your dog’s heart.

It is very important that you share any questions or concerns with your vet especially when it comes to your pooch’s lifestyle and physical condition. If the diagnosis from your general veterinarian does not suit you, perhaps you should seek out a specialist for your dog. You could either go to an internist or a veterinary cardiologist. These vets have specialized training and they probably have a great deal of expertise in this field and other issues that you may have with your dog.

For information on dog heart murmur symptoms, heart disease in dogs of various types, and congestive heart failure in dogs, you will discover a great information resource at HealthyHappyDogs.com