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My dog has a heart murmur. Is a dental cleaning safe without an echo?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shihpoo | Male | neutered | 7 years and 4 months old | 19 lbs

my dog was diagnosed with a heart murmur grade is 3/6, this has not changed since december. I want to have his teeth cleaned but the doctor is insisting that i do the echo. what are your thoughts?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 15th, 2019

It would be a good idea to have an echo done before putting him under anesthesia for a dental cleaning. Having a heart murmur puts him at a greater risk and your vet just wants to make sure it is safe. The echo can determine if he has heart disease and determine how risky it would be to do the dental cleaning.

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