Last Tuesday was meant to be the day that Kai was castrated. Instead we got a call from our Vet mid morning saying that during her usual pre-op examination she had heard a slight heart murmur. He was also pale (gums) so she was concerned about proceeding. She recommended a blood test, which of course we agreed to. We hoped the results would be normal but unfortunately his red blood cell count was lower than it should be. Not hugely but enough to confirm her suspicions.
The trouble is that (she explained) there may be several reasons why the murmur was present. He had got himself really worked up apparently to the point that they had to sedate him slightly. This could be one cause although it doesn't explain why the red blood cell count was lower than it should be. It could also be physiological in nature and he will grow out of it. Or he has a heart murmur which has been picked up really early. She reckons that he has about a one in six chance of having a murmur. So we were faced with a difficult decision. She said she could proceed with the operation but there would be additional risk with the anaesthetic. They monitor them very closely and at the first sign of trouble they would stop. The decision not to go through with the operation was a no-brainer, for the sake of him being castrated, we weren't prepared to put him at risk.
So what do we do now? Well, having discussed it with the Vet, we are going to monitor his pulse rate, breathing rate and gum reaction time, between now and when he has his first booster jab. At this point he will be fully grown so it should have gone if it's physiological. If it hasn't then she will have lots of data to determine whether he needs to have further investigations such as an echo, to see what's going on. We can also review getting him castrated, although that's way down the list of priorities. Our little man's long term health is what we're worried about.
As I write this we have a week's worth of data. It's impossible to check his gums, because there is so much pigmentation (brown/black). The Vet had trouble so what hope do we have? We have been recording pulse and breathing rates each day. Difficult to tell if they are good or bad as the Vet wouldn't give us a 'target' number for obvious reasons. Of course I have looked up details about canine pulse rates on the Internet and the range seems to be 60-160bpm. Kai is at the lower end of this range. Typically after 15 mins at rest he is about 90bpm. Asleep for a longer period it falls to 75bpm. After a play session of fetch and tug it only went up as far as 94. The highest I've managed to record was today. He had running around in the garden woofing at dogs next door. He came in full pelt when I called him (the bribery of a treat does the trick every time). It was 105. She hasn't put any restrictions in place exercise wise, it really is a case of getting a feel for what Kai's heart is doing.
Once we've been recording for a month Eric will take him back and see what she thinks. We're hoping that he just got himself incredibly worked up and that he doesn't have a murmur. Equally we hope it's physiological and so will go of it's own accord. And if it doesn't? Well, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Pet Insurance means they can do what they need to, to to diagnose and manage it. Whatever he needs he will get it!!
It was and remains really upsetting to hear that Kai may have a heart murmur. He is our gorgeous, wonderful, perfect little dog, who we both absolutely adore. He is an incredible character, so affectionate and just.... brilliant. The thought of him having ongoing heart problems and possibly not living as long as he should doesn't bear thinking about. He is so full of life, always up for a game of fetch or rough and tumble with Kayla. He goes for the same length of walk as our two border collies, and Eric tells me that he runs around constantly with a really zippy turn of speed. He eats well, and doesn't ever pull up or look like he's having problems. This all flies in the face of him having a murmur. Please let him be OK!
As an aside try finding the pulse on your dog. There are two choices. First you feel underneath and slightly down from the elbow of their left leg. The other option is on the inside of the back left leg, in the fleshy bit just below the bone. I can find the spot on Kai's leg almost first time now. Despite repeated attempts (groping around until she looks at me as if to say, 'will you just give it up') on Bella, I have been unable to get a sniff of a pulse anywhere!!
As for our little man, all we can do is take measurements each day and hope everything turns out alright. It's going to be a very anxious wait that's for sure....
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