chin with possible heart murmur

[beige chin]

hi, i just took my 1 year old chin glory to the vet & he said that she may have a heart murmur but he wasn't sure if it was his stethoscope acting up or not so im not really worried about it but i wonder if there are any symptoms or anything i should watch out for? are heart murmurs common in chins?

 

[EMSChins]

Stethoscopes are basic pieces of equipment, not alot that can go wrong with them so if the stethoscope was "acting up" it was probably human error. I question if your vet knew what he was listening for - especialliay after reading your other thread where you said that your vet clipped your chins front teeth.

 

[Chinmama]

What vet do you use? My exotic vet is in Taylors if you think you need her information?

 

[lauralynne]

Based on your other health question, I believe you need a new vet.

I do not have experience with any known heart murmurs, but to help answer your question, here is a great quote from Dawn:

The murmur severity besides the sound depends on the valve involved, mitral valve murmurs that progress to heart failure can respond to treatment, aortic murmurs not so much. Chin should be on a low protein, low fat diet, moderate exercise but not to the point of exhaustion that this chin has, look for signs of the problem progressing, tiredness, rapid breathing, poor appetite, an enlarged tummy, pale or bluish gums and ears, and a rapid, weak pulse.

 

[beige chin]

yes, i do need a new vet & chinmama if you will give me the info i would appreciate it! I went to a vet that was close to my house and my aunt recommended them. After talking to them they said that they have done chinchillas in the past so i decided to give them a chance... im defiantly not taking my animals there again! The stethoscope that the vet was using was an electric one hooked up to speakers so that i could listen to it too... i don't know if that makes a difference.

 

[Chinmama]

She has seen ZZ several times in the past for a URI and conjunctivitis. I've also gone by there when he had a hair ring I needed help removing. She and her staff do not have tons of chinchilla experience, but she has always been open to me telling her what I think is wrong and what I think needs to be done. I trust her with my chinchillas.

Brushy Creek Veterinary Hospital - 864-292-6433
1901 Brushy Creek Road, Greer, SC 29650

I would recommend that you have x-rays done for the possible teeth issues, but I'm not sure if you can safely sedate a chinchilla with a heart murmur? Anyone else know?

 

[beige chin]

Thank you so much!!! like i said before, im not too worried too much about the murmur... i will have them check for it but im not trusting the vet that i took them to... none of glory's family had heart murmurs so i don't think she will ether, i was just curious on the subject & if there were any tell tale signs.

 

[feistychins]

I have had a couple of chins with heart murmurs, some more severe than others and the chins have lived very normal lives.

 

[Chinchilla63]

My vet said a large percentage of the chins she sees have heart murmurs and they are rarely a problem. Rocky was sedated for x-rays and she has a heart murmur. She did fine. I think it would depend on the severity of the murmur. I'd want a vet who'd had as much experience working with chins as possible if there's a combination of problems (teeth and heart murmur)...but I know that can be hard to find.