Recently I came upon a post by a woman who had purchased a Papillon puppy from a reputable breeder. At nearly 5 months old the puppy was diagnosed with a grade 3 heart murmur that her current vet felt was likely serious. The owner had been told about the murmur before purchase and that the breeder’s veterinarian had said it would resolve on its own. This advice from the vet likely did happen, but as breeders we should know better. Murmurs are suspicious until proven innocent. General practice vets mean well but just lack the expertise of a cardiologist when it comes to the heart and characterizing murmurs.

From a breeder’s point of view, puppies should never be sold with a murmur unless they have been seen by a cardiologist and the owner is informed about the cause of the murmur and treatment plan, if any. An innocent murmur that has not resolved on its own by 6 months of age warrants a visit to the cardiologist. A murmur with pathological characteristics warrants a visit to the cardiologist. It may be an expensive visit, but it’s the ethical thing to do. Owners should not be left with thousands in unexpected expenses on their puppy and a grave prognosis. It is just not good enough for a breeder to ever tell an owner “it will probably close.” It’s a hopeful promise that will result in heartbreak if not fulfilled.

The owner in this post was told by her vet that her puppy likely had only 2 years left to live. My guess is the vet felt the murmur was due to PDA, in which case this puppy will need a very pricey surgery. However, without a visit to the cardiologist we don’t really know.