Not so “innocent” murmurs

Causes of cardiac murmurs auscultated in both puppies and kittens can range from the benign to the life threatening. Here’s some simple information to help you tackle a new-found murmur in a puppy or kitten!

Now that Christmas has come and gone and we are well into the new year there will be a number of puppies and kittens presenting at veterinary practices for vaccinations and health checks. It is vitally important that during these consultations a good cardiac auscultatory examination is performed to identify any murmurs.

At all times of the year we regularly receive queries about murmurs in young animals. Often some quick advice over the phone will determine the best course of action. In some cases referral may not be necessary for full workup, or further checks by the primary care practice can be scheduled prior to making the final decision on referral. Whatever the situation, good advice and good information is key to obtaining an optimum outcome.

The accompanying table hopefully provides some assistance in distinguishing between innocent/physiological murmurs and murmurs caused by pathological cardiac disease. It can be used as a reference in day-to-day veterinary examination as part of your overall case workup.

 

 

Remember, loud murmurs do not necessarily mean a poor prognosis and quiet murmurs a good prognosis. A small ventricular septal defect will cause a loud murmur and have a much better prognosis than a large ventricular septal defect which will result in a quiet murmur.

Doppler echocardiographic examination is recommended in cases where a pathological murmur is suspected. This enables an accurate diagnosis and prognosis to be made.

Referring vets are welcome to attend workups and we are happy to review basic examination and scanning technique so that you can better utilise your own ultrasound for survey diagnostics. If you feel you would benefit from a quick informal visit to SARC to brush up on your cardiac ultrasound skills, please feel free to call us and we will be more than happy to organise a time for you to visit.

The Cardiorespiratory department operates Monday through Thursday for elective consultations.

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