How Much Does Dog Heart Murmur Treatment Cost?

Heart murmurs in dogs are additional vibrations or sounds in the heart that come from abnormal blood flow. A heart murmur is not a condition on its own, but rather a symptom of an underlying condition.

There is no direct treatment for heart murmurs in dogs, but the causes can often be treated, which can reduce the vibrations in the heart condition. The veterinarian will find the cause of the heart murmur and then form a treatment plan.

How Much Does Dog Heart Murmur Treatment Cost?

For mild heart murmurs, regular annual costs of treatment may be $50 - $200 (≈1.7 days working without days off at $15/hour) for visits and medications. Moderate or severe cases requiring closer monitoring and multiple meds could exceed $5,000 (≈1.9 months of your working life at $15/hour) or more over a lifetime.

The amount of money you are going to spend on your dog’s heart murmur treatment will depend on the age of your dog and the cause of the murmur. If the arteries are constricted, medication and a slight diet modification may be recommended, while surgery might also be recommended if a defective valve is suspected. In the case of tumors, the costs can be really high because chemotherapy could also be required.

For example, if puppies younger than six months have a heart tumor this may subside on its own as time passes, if not, it could be treated with a beta-blocker. Routine examinations are always recommended to evaluate the progress of the murmur.

Depending on the situation, a veterinarian will require various tests to determine the right course of action. These may include an MRI which costs around $1,200 (≈2 weeks dedicated to affording this at $15/hour), an ultrasound which is anywhere between $270 and $550 (≈4.6 days working without days off at $15/hour), a cardiac echo which costs around $320 (≈2.7 days working to pay for this at $15/hour) and an X-ray which costs anywhere between $60 and $230 (≈1.9 days of uninterrupted employment at $15/hour).

It is pretty difficult to offer an exact price point as there is a variety of treatment options for a dog diagnosed with a heart murmur. Though, in order to get an idea about the costs to treat this abnormal heart condition, in the table below you will find the costs of some of the most common conditions that cause a heart murmur.

Note: These price estimates are available for the procedure alone, and will not include the costs of the tests for the initial diagnostic. You should add another $800 to $1,700 (≈2.8 weeks of continuous work at $15/hour) to the treatment prices. As you can see, if treatment is necessary the costs may start at around $1,800 (≈3 weeks of continuous work at $15/hour) and go up to more than $22,000 (≈8.3 months dedicated to affording this at $15/hour).

You might also like our articles on the cost of Addison’s Disease treatment, Echocardiogram, or Blood transfusion for a dog.

According to a post on the Diary of a Real-Life Veterinarian blog, every dog that develops a heart murmur, whether it is a quiet murmur or a loud murmur, is sent to a local cardiologist for an echocardiogram, which costs around $650 (≈1.1 weeks of your career at a $15/hour job). Depending on the result of the echocardiogram, you may have to spend only $30 (≈2 hours of labor required at $15/hour) per month for a prescription-based diet and heart medications or much more for other treatment solutions for abnormal heart rhythms in dogs.

From the PetInsuranceQuotes website, you’ll find that the costs for dog heart murmur treatment start at around $120 (≈1 day working for this purchase at $15/hour) and go up to more than $21,000 (≈8 months working without a break on a $15/hour salary), depending on the grade of heart issue.

What is a dog’s heart murmur?

A heart murmur refers to the abnormal sound of turbulent blood flowing through the separate heart chambers – this sound can be heard with a stethoscope in a veterinary office and can be either congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life. This sound can often be described as a “washing machine noise” when auscultating (listening) to the heart. If no heart murmur is present, this sound should not be heard and the heartbeat should sound more like a clear “LUBB-DUPP”, which is referred to as a normal heart sound.

Treatment of heart murmur in dogs

Since a heart murmur is not a disease in itself, but a sign of potential disease, treatment will depend on the underlying cause of the heart murmur. Therefore, the first step in treating a serious heart murmur is to diagnose its cause.

After obtaining a detailed medical history from you regarding your dog, your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical examination of the pet. The heart murmur will be given a grade of intensity (from I to VI).

Several diagnostic tests are needed to evaluate the function of the heart and the overall health of the body. Your veterinarian will recommend blood chemistry, complete blood count, and urinalysis to assess organ health and cell counts. Chest X-rays will be needed to look at the size of the heart and the details of the heart and lungs.

Once the dog is diagnosed, treatment recommendations can be discussed to improve heart function. Some heart abnormalities will require surgery to repair. Other conditions can be treated with medication. Dogs with heart disease will need routine follow-up visits to their primary care veterinarian and/or cardiologist to monitor response to treatment and track disease progression.

What are the symptoms of heart murmur in dogs?

Often, pets will show no signs of a heart murmur – it’s usually an incidental finding during an annual physical exam. Although, if your dog has a heart murmur, your vet will also ask you questions about potential symptoms. Answering these questions will give your veterinarian a better idea of how serious the problem may be and how long it has been present. Some clinically observed signs of dogs suffering from heart disease may include decreased exercise tolerance, shortness of breath/panting at rest, cough, fainting, weight loss, and decreased appetite.

If more tests are needed to make a diagnosis, one of the most effective ways to find out if a heart murmur is causing health problems is to evaluate it with an echocardiogram. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the pet's heart muscle that can visualize its internal workings and valve functions.

Causes of heart murmur

Potential pathological causes for dog heart murmur:

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A disease that thickens the walls of the heart and makes it less efficient at circulating blood.
• Valve defects: Some valve problems may include a range of conditions, such as mitral valve disease (MVD) and tricuspid valve disease (TVD). MVD involves the presence of a leaky mitral valve, a condition that can gradually lead to congestive heart failure over time. TVD, on the other hand, pertains to problems affecting the tricuspid valve, which can also contribute to the accumulation of fluids and the development of congestive heart failure.
• Dilated cardiomyopathy: refers to enlarged chambers of the heart. When these chambers enlarge, it is more difficult for the heart to pump blood efficiently.
• Septal defects (hole in the heart): The severity of a hole in the heart will usually depend on the location and how large the affected area is.
• Congestive heart failure (CHF): It is a medical condition in which the heart struggles to effectively pump blood, leading to the accumulation of fluids in the lungs (known as pulmonary edema) and/or in the body's tissues (referred to as peripheral edema).

Simple potential causes of heart murmurs that do not affect health:

1. Excessive stress/excitement or panting: If a potential low-grade murmur is heard for the first time and the pet is very stressed or excited at the time of the visit, the vet may have the pet come back in a few weeks to reevaluate and see if the murmur is still present.
2. Large breed dogs when they are growing: Sometimes the turbulence of blood flow can cause a distinct innocent murmur in larger breeds when they are still growing – this can be noticed at a young age and will usually resolve within the age of 6 months. If it persists after this age, further tests are required.

Does pet insurance cover a dog's treatment plan?

Insurance will likely cover further testing to evaluate the murmur and related treatments after you meet your deductible amount. This includes things like heart medications prescribed by your vet.

If your dog already had a heart murmur when you enrolled in insurance, coverage is more limited. Most insurers won't cover pre-existing conditions or related medications.

For a new murmur diagnosis, prescription meds and follow-up vet visits are typically covered according to your policy details. Just file claims towards your annual maximum benefit.

Different insurance companies vary in what they cover. Review exclusions, claims processes, reimbursement rates, caps on coverage, etc. This allows no surprises for your pet’s care.