[yellowwdaisy]

My little dog has a heart murmur. We don't know how long she has had it, but I think it is mild because the vet said she only needs to get an ultrasound of her heart before she gets her teeth cleaned. It was just found about 6 weeks ago that she has the heart murmur by my dog's new vet (her first appointment with him). Her last vets were all not very good at all and they would withhold things about my dog's health from me, so she could have been born with this heart murmur or had it for a couple years-we just don't know.

Anyway, can my dog still take sentinel (heartworm prevention medicine)? We don't know exactly how bad the heart murmur is and we don't know what is causing it. I can't afford to pay for her ultrasound yet and it may be a couple months before she gets her heart looked at by a cardiologist.

My dog's vet and the technician of a holistic vet said my dog can take sentinel, but the technician of the hospital the cardiologist works out of said to wait until we see the cardiologist before taking the sentinel. I am not sure who to believe. I live in Texas where there are mosquitoes, so if I go months without giving sentinel she could get heartworms.

So can a little dog with a recently found heart murmur take heartworm preventatives (specifically sentinel)? I am looking for people's personal experience. Thank you.

(This is only her 4th or 5th time taking sentinel, if that makes a difference. And my dog is 7.)

 

[Kwenami]

I would get her to a vet and get everything checked out first, just to be sure. Better to pay the money now than to give her meds or have her start to have issues with anything else health related-maybe you can get a loan or something?

She will probably be fine-heart murmurs have pretty much no effect on most animals-but you wouldn't want something to happen or her to react badly to any medication...Worst case call up your vet and ask this question (the vet one who doesn't withhold information) and they can probably answer for you.

 

[TiggerBounce]

Personally, I would get the ultrasound ASAP to figure out what's going on. Apply for CareCredit if you need: Healthcare and Medical Financing for Consumers | CareCredit™

When's the last time she's been tested for heart worm? One of the symptoms of heart worm disease can actually be a heart murmur. If that's the case, I would not be giving any heart worm preventative to her without a vet's guidance knowing the circumstances. Giving heart worm preventative to an already infested dog could potentially be problematic if not deadly.

I would call the vet and also call the cardio specialist and ask them just to be sure. Some technicians are very knowledgeable, but they didn't get the same kind of medical education that the vets get. I will always trust a vet over a tech.

 

[yellowwdaisy]

She was just tested for heartworms a week or two ago.

 

[TiggerBounce]

She was just tested for heartworms a week or two ago.

Ok good!

Then just call your vet again and call the cardio specialist Like I said, the tech may or may not know what she's talking about.

The good thing is that it's starting to cool off, so if you do have to take her off her preventative, her risk is lower as mosquito activity is dropping.

 

[Holly]

If the heartworm test was negative a week ago, even with a heart murmur I can't see any reason why your dog couldn't take heartworm preventative...