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My dog has a heart murmur. What does it mean? Can surgery fix it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My dog has a heart murmur can the vet not put the heart on bypass the clamp the arorta and then sew a patch on the murmur.What actually is a murmur

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on March 29th, 2018

Hi there! A murmur just means an abnormal sound was detected when the vet listened to the heart with his/her stethoscope - it can be caused by many different things. The most common heart problems in dogs that could cause a heart murmur would include valvular insufficiency (a "leaky" mitral valve, usually), aortic or pulmonic stenosis (narrowing of the opening to the aorta or pulmonary artery), or dilated cardiomyopathy, in which the heart becomes stretched out and doesn't contract strongly anymore. Most of the heart problems we see in veterinary medicine are not correctable by surgery, and open-heart surgery of the type that is done on humans is not done in veterinary patients - so unfortunately this isn't an option. To determine what is causing the murmur and see if any treatment is needed, I would recommend talking to your veterinarian about chest x-rays and an ultrasound of the heart, called an echocardiogram. These tests are needed to diagnose the specific problem that is causing the murmur, and will guide treatment decisions from there depending on what is found.

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    Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

    Published on March 16th, 2018

    I'm sorry that you are dealing with this with Murphy. A murmur only means that we hear turbulent blood flow when we listen to the heart. I am attaching a link below with more information about heart murmurs. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2488 The grade of the heart murmur is just how loud it is and does not necessary mean that the condition is getting worse. The most common reason that older dogs have heart murmurs is that one of the valves in the heart is leaking. This generally will lead to heart failure over time. The reason for the cardiology referral is to figure out what is causing the murmur and if there is anything to do about it now to prevent it from getting worse. Regardless of what the cardiologist finds, it will be important to keep your vet notified of any changes in breathing, appetite, energy level or cough that may indicate the Murphy is developing heart failure and needs medications for that. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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