Fergus has heart problems??
We just adopted a 9 week old OES puppy named Fergus. He is just as cute as can be and seems healthy, confident & happy. So I was very surprised when we took him to our vet and she found that Fergus has a mild heart murmur and a very rapid heart rate (about 200 bpm). While our vet wasn't overly concerned about the heart murmur - apparently quite common in puppies - it, combined with the rapid heart rate could inidicate a congenital heart problem. I contacted our breeder and she was surprised and supportive. She has offered to replace Fergus - but I can't imagine "replacing" him - he's not a carton of bad eggs! We go back to the vets in another week, to follow up and confirm the initial findings. Otherwise Fergus is doing great. He is gaining weight, is active and loves to terrorize Mojo, our Bernese Mountain Dog. Has anyone else gone through this with their puppies? What was the outcome? I'm so worried about the little guy! Thanks so much! jen |
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| I'm so sorry you're going through this. We are here for you. |
we went through this with our chocolate lab. All I can say is get a 2nd or 3rd opinion. This is why... We took our 3 month old lab in to get spayed. The vet called us and told us they couldnt put her under because it sounded like she had a hole in her heart! I went right away to talk to the vet and they said its like when someone puts their thumb over a waterhose and the water comes out harder, they said this is what her blood was doing and that it would eventually make her chest wall around the heart collaspe. They said she had a few weeks to a month to live. They wanted us to take her to a specialist in Dallas to do a 3000.00 sonogram, just to see exactly what was going on. (wouldnt fix anything so we said no) I had to tell my 3 children that the puppy we just got was very sick and wasnt going to live very much longer. A lot of crying was done, we were scared to let her run and play thinking it would make the blood pump faster. Well after about 2 months my grandmother passed away and we had to go out of town to her funeral. My dogs went with us and Mocha ate a plant that made her sick. I took her to my sisters vet to get her checked. When he started to listen to her heart I told him I knew she had a heart problem. He looked at me and said he didnt hear anything. So he called in his fellow doctor who also didnt hear anything. When we got back home I went to a different vet and again nothing! Here it is 5 years later and Mocha is still happy and healty. Needless to say I went back to that vet and gave her a piece of my mind!!  I honestly think she just wanted to do the sonogram because it was a new toy they just got! So ANYWAY sorry for the long rant, but get a 2nd and 3rd opinion. |
| Heart murmurs can be present in young dogs and they often outgrow them. I'm not knowing if this is the case with your puppy, but maybe?? Definitely get a 2nd opinion. And if some dog club has a cardiology clinic nearby, it's a great less expensive way to see an expert in cardiology. Link to the OFFA site for clinics - http://www.offa.org/clinics.html OFFA is the same as OFA - most commonly known for their hip and elbow certifications. They also keep track of the other major health certifications - hearing (BAER), eye (CERF), cardiac, thyroid and others. |
| Paige Pyr was suddenly diagnosed with a heart murmur. The vet suggested we go to a cardiac vet here in town. We went, he looked at her and said, " she is very skinny." I explained she self moderated her eating and had plenty of energy which is why this was all strange. He took her back to the exam area, back in 20 minutes and said, "There's nothing wrong with her heart and her lungs are great." So I second the above suggestion, hold on to see if it self corrects and find out if there is a cardiac vet in your area for a consultation. |
Hope it turns out to be a false alarm.  |
| Thanks for the replies everyone. Our vet is usually pretty good about trying to keep costs down - and our 2nd appt is purposely scheduled with another vet in their office to get another "set of ears" to listen to Fergus' heart. I haven't told our girls yet (ages 4 and  , as they would be absolutely crushed. My youngest daughter was born with a physical disability - which completely rules out returning Fergus. What kind of a message would returning Fergus send to her? Besides, we wouldn't do that anyway - I couldn't forgive myself!In the meantime, he is a bouncy little guy and full of spunk. I'm sure that he's gaining a half pound a day, so we're definitely not in "failure to thrive" territory here. We see the other vet on the 23rd - I'll let you know how it goes! jen |
My Marley has a grade 3 murmur and an enlarged heart .He was born like it.If your vet does find something wrong with Fergus's heart please get a second opinion off a cardio specialist .I was told Marley's was worse than it was and my vet(who ,at the time, i trusted completely) gave him a year at the most .Luckily my vet left and i went to another practice and they sent me to a cardio specialist and altough he is ill he isn't dying  . |
| "and our 2nd appt is purposely scheduled with another vet in their office to get another "set of ears" to listen to Fergus' heart." You might want to get a 2nd opinion from a vet from a different hospital or at least a 3rd opinion if the 2nd one says the same thing. We had 3 doctors at the original hospital tell us all Mocha had a heart problem and wouldnt live more than a month. It wasnt till we went to a whole other hospital till we found out nothing was wrong. Best of luck to you. Hope you have the same great out come we did. |
| lots of good info here. I cannot offer anything but good wishes. Hope all is ok! |
| Just sent you a pm...I believe heart murmurs are common in puppies and they usually grow out of them. Also, a mild murmur can appear and disappear and reappear depending on the situation. My pm will tell you more... |
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