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My dog has a level 4 heart murmur. Is it serious if she seems fine?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 10 years and 7 months old

My dog has a level 4 heart murmur. What does this mean? Can she die from this? She seems perfectly fine otherwise.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 23rd, 2016

Old dogs often suffer from endocardiosis, a condition where the heart valves do not close properly any more and the heart needs to work much harder to pump oxygenated blood to all the regions of the body. When the valves do not close properly the swirling blood makes a noise and depending on the volume of the noise we assign it grades. A grade or level 4 heart murmur on a scale of 5 would be a serious heart murmur, on a scale of 6, not quite so serious. Here is some excellent information: http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/heart-murmurs-in-dogs/3912

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33Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Some heart murmurs are found by accident, if your dog doesn't show any symptoms of heart failure she might be fine. having said that, grade 4 heart murmur can definitely be life threatening if your dog starts showing heart failure symptoms.

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    32Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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