Self-Reported Management of Incidentally Detected Heart Murmurs in Puppies: A Survey among Veterinarians.

Animals (Basel). June 2024;14(12):.

Marie D B van Staveren¹, Esther Muis², Viktor Szatmári³

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 108, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.; ² Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 108, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.; ³ Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 108, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Heart murmurs in puppies can be innocent or pathologic; the latter is almost always related to a congenital heart disease. Differentiating between these murmurs can be challenging for practicing veterinarians, but this differentiation is essential to ensure the best prognosis for puppies having a congenital heart disease. Our study aimed to reveal how veterinarians manage puppies with a heart murmur.

METHODS:A web-based questionnaire was sent to Dutch and Belgian veterinary practices.

RESULTS:Data from 452 respondents were analyzed. Though 88% of the respondents find detecting a heart murmur easy, only 9% find differentiating innocent murmurs from pathologic murmurs in puppies easy. Of the respondents, only 80% recommend immediate additional examination when detecting a loud heart murmur during the first veterinary health check at 6 weeks of age. Most of the respondents are aware that normal growth and the absence of clinical signs do not exclude severe congenital heart disease. Of the respondents, 31% were uncertain whether early surgical intervention could lead to improved outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS:Veterinarians are aware of the importance of echocardiography for puppies with a loud heart murmur, and recognize their limitations when differentiating an innocent from a pathological heart murmur in a puppy.

Keywords

Amplatz; auscultation; balloon valvuloplasty; catheter intervention; congenital heart disease; dogs; echocardiography; innocent murmur; patent ductus arteriosus; pulmonic stenosis; screening;

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