Murmurs and heart health can feel overwhelming and high-stakes for any owner. Today we’ll cover how the heart works, common signs of heart problems, breed predispositions, heart murmurs, and access to heart care. Let’s dive in.

At a basic level, the heart is a pump that moves blood through the body. Blood carries nutrients to tissues to maintain bodily function. It returns from the body to the right side of the heart to be pumped out to the body again.

The heart has four chambers, two on each side. Each side contains an atrium and a ventricle, separated by a valve. During the filling phase all chambers relax and the valves between the atriums open allowing blood to enter.

When the heart is full, the atria contract and push blood into the ventricles, all those valves close. The ventricles then contract, sending blood to the lungs or body. Additional valves where blood exits the heart prevent backward flow. This process is coordinated by electrical signals from nodes in the heart. 

When it comes to keeping your pet healthy, educated observation may be one of your best tools for early intervention. Subtle signs of heart function issues may include:

More overt signs may include:

Seek veterinary care if you notice these changes in your pet.

Heart health is vital to wellbeing and certain breeds may be more likely than the general dog population to develop heart disease. If you have a purebred dog, learning about disease predispositions may help you feel more prepared to advocate for them as they age.

If you are considering getting a purebred dog, understanding what they may be more likely to develop, and whether screening tests exist, can help prepare you for what life may bring.

Common, and beloved, breeds known to have predispositions to heart disease include:

In most cases, there is not genetic testing to determine individual risk, but this technology is currently being explored. This will likely evolve. Ideally, such testing may help prevent breeding of animals with specific disease genes while also helping individuals understand their dog’s risks.

Heart murmurs describe the sound of turbulent blood flow through the heart. Normally, a stethoscope reveals a faint “pub-dub,” produced by valves closing to prevent back flow. A murmur occurs when flow becomes turbulent, and often makes a “shhhh” sound.

This may result from valve damage, altered blood thickness, structural defects allowing abnormal flow direction, or other causes. Importantly, not all murmurs indicate chronic or progressive disease. They simply describe sound, like the difference between a calm stream and rapids.

In puppies, murmurs may be developmental and resolve as the body matures outside of the uterus. If your veterinarian detects a murmur, they can help guide appropriate next steps.

Accessing care may be challenging, particularly specialty care. Veterinary cardiologists often have prolonged wait times. Stable dogs typically begin evaluation with a primary care veterinarian, who may recommend referral after identifying abnormalities.

Diagnostics may be initiated before referral or deferred based on specialist preference. This coordination helps make specialist visits efficient and effective.

If instability is suspected, referral to an emergency facility, ideally with cardiology services, may occur. It is also important to acknowledge that specialty care is expensive. Estimates may be requested.

Specialty care may be out of reach for some families. If this applies, share openly with your veterinarian. They will do their best to work within available means to pursue the best possible outcomes.