My student, Katie, has a 3.5 month old shih tzu diagnosed at 6 weeks old with a significant heart murmur. Is there any info on the dangerousness of this condition in such a small dog? He has been gaining a lot of weight. (He's currently 8 pounds already). Any advice or suggestions? Thank you.

I think it would help if you could give more detailed info. Usually heart conditions are rated Stage I (mild) to V (very bad; can't be anesthetized). Also, what do you mean by heart murmur? Can you be a bit more specific?

I'm more familiar with Airedales. Currently our 11.5yo has about a II murmur (detected under sedation when he was about 7yo) and I believe it was diagnosed as "mild degenerative valvular disease with mitral valve regurgitation." We began giving him a vit E capsule once daily, 100 IUs (he's 80#) but no other meds.

The fact that your puppy is so young and has a "significant" heart murmur is not reassuring. I know of a breeder who had her 3-4 month Airedale puppy euthanized b/c the heart was so bad and she didn't want an owner to adopt him and then lose him suddenly. I don't mean to scare you, but you need to be realistic about his chances for survival.

Note: I am NOT a vet nor do I have any kind of medical degree.

All good wishes,
Airedale

The fact that your puppy is so young and has a "significant" heart murmur is not reassuring. I don't mean to scare you, but you need to be realistic about his chances for survival.

Thank you for your response -- the vet has told us that the murmur seems to have decreased to a point where it is barely audible -- so maybe Theo will be lucky.