Matters of the Heart: When Is It Worth Looking Closer?

One of the questions we are often helping clients answer is whether a change they have noticed is simply part of getting older or something worth investigating further.

When it comes to heart health, the answer is not always obvious.

Perhaps your dog tires more quickly on walks. Perhaps your cat seems to sleep more than usual, breathes differently, or has become less active around the house. These changes can be caused by many things, and in some cases there may be no obvious signs at all.

At MBV, our role is to combine what you have noticed at home with what we find during your pet's examination to determine whether there are clues that warrant a closer look.

The Things We Listen For

Every time your pet visits MBV, whether it is for a wellness check, vaccination, illness, dental assessment or health concern, one of the first things we do is listen carefully to their heart and lungs.

Most of the time, everything sounds exactly as we would expect.

Occasionally, though, we hear something unexpected.

One of the most common findings is a heart murmur.

For many owners, hearing the word "murmur" can feel concerning. The reassuring thing to know is that a murmur is not a diagnosis. It is simply a clue.

A heart murmur is an unusual sound created by blood moving through the heart or surrounding blood vessels in a way that produces extra noise. Rather than hearing only the normal heartbeat, we hear an additional whooshing sound that tells us we may need to learn more.

What Does a Murmur Actually Mean?

The answer is that it depends.

Some murmurs are associated with underlying heart disease. Others may be related to stress, changes in blood flow, anaemia, hyperthyroidism or other medical conditions.

Some pets with murmurs go on to live long, healthy lives with little or no intervention. Others may benefit from monitoring, treatment or further investigation.

The murmur itself is not the problem. It is simply the heart's way of telling us that there may be more to understand.

And that is where our job begins.

Taking the Next Step

When we identify a murmur, our priority is helping you understand what it means for your individual pet.

Sometimes that means simply monitoring for change over time. In other situations, we may recommend further investigation so we can better understand exactly what is happening within the heart.

At MBV, all of our vets are trained to identify heart murmurs and recognise when further assessment may be beneficial. We are fortunate to also have Dr Stephen Inglis and Dr Phoebe Nunn within our team, who perform advanced ultrasound diagnostics and help us gain a much clearer picture of heart health when further investigation is required.

For our clients, this means that if we identify a concern, there is often a clear pathway forward without needing to start from scratch somewhere else.

Looking Ahead

One of the most reassuring things we can tell owners is that many pets with heart murmurs continue to live happy, active lives for many years.

The key is understanding what the murmur represents, ensuring the right monitoring is in place, and intervening when appropriate.

Next month, we will take a closer look at one of the most valuable tools we use when investigating heart murmurs and heart disease: the echocardiogram, or heart ultrasound, and explain how it helps us see what is happening inside the heart in real time.