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Is bladder stone surgery risky for an old dog with a bad heart?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 30 lbs

My dog is 13.5 with a grade 5 heart murmur and on vetmedin with an enlarged heart but he is not in heart failure.. He has a recurrence of small bladder stones and the vet wants to surgically remove them. I don't think this is a good idea for aon old dog with a bad heart. What do you think?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 16th, 2018

Poor Osc has some awful health troubles at the moment! I can understand your reservation about doing surgery when he has heart problems, but as a vet, I would not recommend doing sugery if I thought the risks were too high. I don't believe your vet would recommend surgery if they didn't think it would be safe to do on him. While any surgery and anesthesia has its complications, which does increase with specific health problems, that doesn't mean it can be done safely. During surgery, the animal is monitored very closely, and the anesthetic drug protocol is tailored for the animal and it's current health problems. Ultimately, it is up to you as to whether or not you want Osc to have surgery, but again I don't think your vet would have suggested it if they felt it would be unsafe. I recommend speaking to your vet about your concerns, and how they will handle things during the surgery to keep him as safe as possible. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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