[Lazaro B]

My dog was diagnosed with a light grade 1 possible grade 2 heart murmur. He just turned 8 years old a few days ago. He’s half Pomeranian half poodle. Vet told me heart murmurs are common in small breeds. I’ve looked all over the Internet for something to help him even though there are no signs of heart problems yet. I’ve heard about Coq10/ ubiquinol for heart health, but the vet said that won’t help. He does hack and once in a while something comes up other times it’s like a reverse sneeze he does so maybe that’s a symptom to. Other then that, he runs up and down the stairs with no problems and we go for walks. Anyone heard of CoQ 10 or Ubiquinol being helpful to dogs with heart murmurs?

[anonymous]

No, your vet is right. A lot of supplements are scams and some can even cause harm.
My last small breed had a heart murmur since the age of 5, no symptoms , lived till age 16 and died of unrelated causes.
I have had other small breeds that developed murmurs as they got older, no treatment required.
Of course if he begins to have symptoms I would talk to your vet, there are probably prescription meds that would help. And you could even take him to a veterinary cardiologist for further testing and evaluation.
The reverse sneeze thing may be unrelated. Does he hack up white foamy stuff? My old guy did that occasionally, not often.
Ps: The only supplement I give these days is one fish oil capsule with the morning meal.

[anonymous]

Hope this helps, excerpt below. Click on link for full article.
https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/qa-with-angell-west-cardiologist-dr-rebecca-malakoff/
My dog/cat has a heart murmur. What does this mean?
A heart murmur is a “swooshing” sound heard while listening to the heart, instead of a crisp “lub-dub” sound. This typically indicates some turbulence to blood flow in the heart. It can be caused by a leaking valve, by an area of narrowing within the heart causing disturbance to blood flow, or by other abnormalities such as a defect or “hole” in a heart wall from birth. As in people, some pets can have a soft “innocent” murmur, where no significant heart disease is present. Murmurs are graded on a scale of 1 to 6 depending on how loud they are and how many places over the heart they are audible (with 6 being the loudest and most widespread). To determine the cause of a heart murmur, an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart, is recommended.

[Acroyali]

One of my elderly dogs developed a murmur that got worse in 6 months time. We did use CoQ10 and a few other supplements (fish oil at my vets recommendation) his murmur actually improved after another 6 months. His vet was incredibly pleased and said that (in their experiences) murmurs in older dogs don’t usually get better, they usually progress. Who knows if it was a fluke or if the CoQ10 was responsible, but for his situation, I believe it certainly didn’t hurt.
He went on much longer than expected before going into full blown heart failure, and by this time he WAS on several prescription medications that helped to extend his life. (While I do think intelligent supplementation can be extremely helpful, heart disease is something I don’t attempt to work with on my own.)
Your dog, your decision when it comes to supplementation.

[Lazaro B]

Once in a while he will hack up some foamy stuff. Other then that, he is his usual active self going up and down the stairs like he was the road runner. When he was a puppy, he tried to trip me several times going down the stairs. I think he was trying to kill me. LOLOL. I know about the meds that are available. The vet told me about them a few months ago when I brought him in for his wellness exam and vaccines. He eats Fromm Weight Management dry dog food that has fish in it. It has omega 3 and 6 in it.

[anonymous]

Sounds good, I would go by what your vet recommends, for now.
It probably wouldn’t hurt to add a fish oil capsule. No matter how good the dog food, a lot of the fish oil stuff dissipates as soon as you open the bag 🙁

Ps: Make sure he is drinking water, these old guys, especially small breeds, are vulnerable to develop bladder stones. I would add a splash to his food.

[Lazaro B]

Thanks anon and everyone who replied. I used to give him fish oil liquid from Grizzly or Grizzly bear. I guess I’ll have to buy some more. Thanks.

[InkedMarie]

The dog in my avatar has a grade 1-2 murmur. His holistic vet recommended giving him Thorne Research Bio-Cardio. It’s a supplement. I honestly wouldn’t know if it’s helping or not.

[Lazaro B]

Thanks Inked Marie. I’ve done some reading about the CoQ10/ ubiquinol and many say it’s helped their dogs. Right now, I’m not even sure if it would work or at least help my dog in the long run. Hope your dog feels better

[InkedMarie]

Lazaro, my dog feels fine, far as we know. No coughing or hacking and he’s eleven!

[Lazaro B]

Good to hear InkedMarie.

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