My 11wk puppy has a grade 3 heart murmur that did not present at her fort bet visit. How concerned should I be? Anything I can do to help her while at home like less running around to avoid increased HR?

Updated On January 21st, 2020

Pet's info: Dog | Blue Heeler | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 20 days old | 11.7 lbs

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

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At this age, as long as Kona is doing well, I would just monitor for now. Continue going in every 3 weeks for her vaccinations and the veterinarian will check the murmur with each visit. Innocent murmurs, which happen often, are harmless heart murmurs that typically show up around 6-8 weeks of age and can persist for several months. The murmur will typically resolve by 4-6 months of age. If the murmur is still there at the time it is recommended to spay, I would hold off on the spay procedure and have a cardiologist do an echocardiography on her to see what the cause of the murmur is. I would avoid making her exercise too hard but she can still play. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction!

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