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Discussion on New Heart Murmur
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New Member:
Jkissel
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 18, 2007 - 2:04 pm:
My otherwise healthy 18 year old warmblood mare was getting her physical/shots yesterday when the vet discovered what he said was a 6 heart murmur(on a 1-6 scale). I could actually feel it strongly with my hand held against her. He didn't think there was much to be done and felt that "the medicines" don't work all that well anyway. I am very concerned for her health and am uncomfortable riding her with this new knowledge. I searched your discussions and found that there are different types of murmurs. What do you suggest I do for a work-up, is a work-up necessary, do you think she is safe to ride and what might her prognosis be? I ride her lightly on flat trails once a week with some arena work. She has no other symptoms. She is out on pasture daily. Thanks.
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Member:
Mcbizz
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 18, 2007 - 5:56 pm:
Hello, Janice...
Please bear with me if this post is repeated. I did it once and it seems to have disappeared...
My about to turn 14 year old Arabian gelding has a heart murmur graded 2-3 by two of my vets, 5-6 by the other two in the same clinic. All vets agree their findings are based on loudness and the ability to feel the rythmn from his sides. Makes me wonder, does a murmur change with conditions such as nervousness? (It sounds like a washing machine through the stethoscope.) He apparently developed the murmur at about age 9, when first discovered. Finding the exact cause, they say, would require a sonogram(sp?) which I have not done, since the horse is ridden very lightly and does not compete. He is typically active though he does like to lie down napping more than any other horse I've owned.
All four vets suggested B vitamins and iron as he was anemic when I had blood work done. When he is sedated for floating, the vet is very careful to use a light dosage and monitors him closely.
The mutual concern of all is to watch for signs of weakness or fatigue when riding. If his breathing becomes labored or if he sweats profusely and shows weakness, get off! None of this has happened at this point. The prognosis is unclear, since a loud murmur doesn't necessarily mean a big problem. Sometimes a quiet murmur is worse, depending on the cause.
Equus Magazine printed an excellent article in May 2006 called "Broken Hearts". If you can get that copy it will give you a great deal of info.
It is a worry, but one of the vets says she has one client with a hunter/jumper with a grade 6 who competes all the time and never a worry!
Maybe Dr. O. will add to this...
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 6:26 am:
Though Carolyn's words are comforting, loudness is an important indicator in assessing severity and once murmurs exceed the very subjective number of a "3" the prognosis for work goes down. A 3 could be defined as "quiet but easily heard". The biggest problem with this method is that one persons 3 could be another's 5 so this is a subjective evaluation.
Since your horse is symptomless you have to wonder here. Your next step in finding a prognosis is to have the cause of the murmur defined. Often the character of the murmur can give pretty good hints of the cause but a thorough echo cardiogram will be better at not only finding the location of the murmur but the cause so better at developing a prognosis.
DrO
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Member:
Canyon28
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 11:34 am:
Last year I had a mare I owned die of a heart attack while I was riding her and it was not fun to say the least. She did have a heart murmur, but my vet had never told me what "grade" they thought it was. I was up in the mountains at about 7000 feet attending a rodeo and I and a couple of other folks went on a trail ride out from the rodeo grounds. We started up a short but pretty steep hill and she seemed fine after we got to the top. About a minute later she suddenly staggered two steps to the left and went down on my left leg. It happened so fast, I had no time to jump off. I didnt break my leg, but I got a huge hematoma/blood clot just to the inside and above my left knee that took almost a year to drain and heal. I would never wish that on anyone. My mare was only 13 years old.
I had been riding this mare in the mountains since she was 7 years old, so just because someone tells you that they are jumping or trail riding on their horse with a bad heart murmur, doesnt mean the horse wont collapse at any time.I would go with Dr O and have the echo gram done.
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Member:
Mcbizz
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 12:24 pm:
Christine, what a terrible experience. I'm very sorry about your mare and glad you weren't even more seriously hurt. To clarify what I meant in my previous post: the vet that told me about her client continuing to jump a horse with a grade 6 murmur IS very concerned, it is the client's choice to do this in spite of the condition. I am not in any way minimizing the potential danger involved.
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Member:
Corinne
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Posted on Friday, Jan 19, 2007 - 6:56 pm:
Janice, hoping you are able to get a prognosis soon. Sending healing vibes your way. Christine...oh my god. I really am glad that you weren't hurt worse as in breaking your femur at 7000 ft or even a head injury (even though a year long draining hematoma could not have been fun!) So sorry to hear about your horrible experience and I know it must have been heartbreaking for you to have your horse die so young especially under those circumstances. I have not lost a horse and can only hope that one day my beloved friend will die a peaceful death during his sleep when he is 40  I don't know how any of you deal with the death of your horses. Prayers for all of you who have to endure that at any time for any reason.
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