My dog has a heart murmur. What are the heart risks during surgery?

Question

Hi! My 1o year old Bischon mix with a heart murmur is slated to have knee ligament surgery on Tuesday. He is very active and goes for long walks often. He does cough from time to time after he exerts himself, but our local vet considers him in very good shape for a dog of his age. I was wondering if I should be concerned about his heart during his surgery, or what sould be done to make sure he survives the surgery. Thank you! Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 9 years and 11 months old | 17 lbs

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

If you are worried about this heart the best test to have done before surgery would be an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) as that will tell you how the heart is actually functioning and if it can pump blood efficiently. That is what I would have done if I was in your position. Unfortunately, you can do all the testing in the world and there is no guarantee that he will survive the surgery. That is just the nature of a living being. The same happens with people. You can take every precaution and they may still not survive. That being said, it is very rare for a "healthy" animal to not survive a routine/elective surgery. Does it happen, yes; is it likely, no. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

My dog has a heart murmur. What are the heart risks during surgery?

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