Spaying with a Heart Murmur

5357 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by pouting_princess, Jan 16, 2005

pouting_princess

Discussion Starter · Jan 15, 2005

I was wondering if anyone has spayed a chi with a heart murmur? This may seem like a silly question but I was wondering if there are extra precautions you must take? Annabelle is very tiny, 2.7 lbs at 5 months, so I know I will need to wait at least another month before I start seroiusly considering it. Our other dogs are all females and I would never breed her, but I am just wondering if it would be worth the risk. Also, does anyone know of any good sites about heart murmurs and medications that can help, etc? Any imput would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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Ms_P

· #2 · Jan 16, 2005

These are questions you should be asking your veternarian.
I sure if your vet is aware of the heart murmer and said it was OK to do the spay, then he/she will take every precaution necessary.
And if he/she isn't aware of the heart murmer, PLEASE tell him/her.
We have a cat with a heart murmer and they do not want to put him under anesthesia.
I would think they would have you take her to a cardiologist and at least have a sonagram done on her heart to see what is causing the murmer before doing any kind of surgery.

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pouting_princess

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 16, 2005

thanks for the reply. of course my vet knows about the murmur, it was through him i found out about it in the first place!

i just wanted to see if anyone had been in a similiar situation so i could get some other opinions.

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ilovesadie

· #4 · Jan 16, 2005

Hi there, many times juvenille heart murmurs can be pretty benign, and often disappear over time. Normally these are related to small holes in the heart wall. However if these holes are large, they can lead to heart failure, poor oxygenation of the blood, high pressure in the lungs, liver congestion, and fatigue. Your vet is probably worried that the anesthesia is too stressful for the heart and that since the blood has a low oxygen concentration to begin with, it may be difficult to wake her up after the procedure (we call this being "too deep") and that her breathing will be labored. Lastly, recovery may be difficult for these same reasons.

That's the bad news. The good news, is that all heart murmur does is increase the level of difficulty of monitoring the anesthesia. A good nurse will be able to fine tune the anesthesia machine for your dog. At our hospital have done hundreds of surgeries on dogs and cats with heart murmurs with no complications. Many veterinarians will not want to undertake the surgery due to the increased risk, however, if you choose to get a second opinion from a cardiologist (as was already suggested!), he/she may be able to tell you how severe the murmur is and if your pet is safe for anesthesia.

Good luck! -Nate

Good luck! -Nate

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pouting_princess

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 16, 2005

thanks for the reply, it was very helpful! the vet said the murmur was definitely genetic. he called it a machining murmur i think because it sounded like a washing machine and was really loud. he explained to me a few possibilities as to what could be causing it (he personally thinks its PDA) and said the only way to find out for sure is to consult a cardiologist. he also said that spaying could be done but that there would just be added risks and precautions as you said. i have total confidence in him and think that he is very capable. if he didn't want to do it he would have told me right upfront!

i guess that going to a cardiologist would be the best thing to do before i make a final decision which was what i was planning to do anyway

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