Dental Work and Heart Murmur's?

This forum is for dog lovers seeking everyday advice and suggestions on health-related issues. Remember, however, that advice on a public forum simply can't be a substitute for proper medical attention. Only your vet can say assuredly what is best for your dog.

Murphy

Smurph Man

Barked: Sun Jan 27, '13 3:00pm PST


	So I found out the other day that Murph has a very mild heart murmur (Grade 1). I know Murph has been needing a teeth cleaning but we had him at his other vet before and they said his teeth were "fine", however the new vet said he has stage 4 dental disease (it's really only his one back tooth that's terrible like that, the rest of his teeth have a little build up on them). He needs dental work right away but his vet wants to get a chest xray and bloodwork beforehand to make sure everything is okay heart wise. I've heard from a few people that its not necessary? Just wondering what you guys think?

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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Sun Jan 27, '13 8:53pm PST


	Get the bloodwork. Sassy had a grade 3 murmur and kidney disease and had a lump on her eyelid taken off plus a huge fatty tumor plus her teeth cleaned at the same time. When she was 13.5 years old yet. If you haven't started to do yearly blood work on your senior dog start now, this is cheap insurance against an emergency visit with a dog that has crashed due to kidney, heart or liver disease. Sassy stayed out of the emergency room because I managed to get her needs taken care of before there was a crisis. Spend $150 to save $1500, easy choice for me.

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Scooter,- PAWS

Power of the Paw- for those who- need it

Barked: Mon Jan 28, '13 4:34am PST


	Hey Murph I agree with maxwell...at least do the bloodwork. our vet makes it mandatory before any of us go under anesthesia. It sounds like you and your vet feel the dental work is medically necessary? If so, then I think doing bloodwork would be enough, especially since it's so slight. I know some don't feel bloodwork is necessary as we age, but as seniors, we are going to do it once a year, at least once every two years. Not waiting to do it until something isn't right, but doing it to see if things can be caught early. We go to Banfield and routine bloodwork is part of the wellness plan we signed up for. I also took my cat spirit in...she hadn't been to the vet in 2 1/2 years...the vet heard a grade 2/3 heart murmur and recommended bloodwork since it had been over 3 years (she's 16). Well, she's in renal failure. It's not too bad, but just imagine if I hadn't done the bloodwork. We would have never known. She acts completely normal. so, yea...now we do the bloodwork for Trudy and I. Your vet may just to look a little more into the heart murmur, I do know a chest xray is somewhat of a starting point in looking at the heart. So maybe he's looking at two things...one, the bloodwork which is normal before going under anesthesia and just trying to understand where the heart murmur is coming from. http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasesandconditions/a/CW- DogMurmurs.htm as always remove any spaces if you see (there's a space between the hyphen and D) Edited by author Mon Jan 28, '13 4:46am PST

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MIKA&KAI

Akita Pals- Always.

Barked: Mon Jan 28, '13 12:12pm PST


	I agree with the others. I would rather spend a few dollars in advance to have the bloodwork and chest x-ray done to catch a potential problem beforehand than skip-it have the surgery and have a complication that could have been avoided come up after.

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Star

1188980

Barked: Tue Jan 29, '13 7:16am PST


	Having had a dog that three vets said it was the worst heart murmur they had ever experienced. A grade one should be able to handle the work that is needed.

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Murphy

Smurph Man

Barked: Tue Feb 5, '13 3:41pm PST


	Thank you for the responses guys, we're going to go ahead and get the chest xray as well as the bloodwork done before the dental

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Member Since
12/02/2012

Barked: Tue Feb 5, '13 10:19pm PST


	It's a good thing that you're going to get the chest xray and the bloodwork. This way you'll be aware of whatever may be going on inside your dog's system. As they say, it's better to be safe than sorry.