How bad does a heart murmur on a 13 year old Mini Schnauzer effect its quality of life?

Answer 1

A heart murmer (heard by the vet when putting a stethoscope on your dog's chest) is a muffling of the 'lub dub' sound which should normally be heard. This is usually due to the valves in the heart not shutting perfectly, and allowing some blood to leak back.

If the heart is still pumping blood effectively, then even with this problem there will be few effects on quality of life. The risk is if the heart cannot cope; this can ocasionally happen just when dogs get very excited, or are exercised, or can occcur spontaneously. Clinical signs will include coughing, difficulty breathing or reluctance to exercise. If you see any of these, you should take your dog to the vet; who may wish to conduct further tests to look at the heart.

In the meanwhile, if your dog is otherwise healthy, you can take preventative measures like having frequent, short walks (instead of very long ones with a high level of pressure on the heart), and feeding omega 3 supplements. Ask your vet about these, as special foods and supplements are available; human products are unlikely to have much benefit.