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Ask the Veterinarian/buying a puppy wit a heart murmur

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Expert: - 1/30/2010


Question
i about a shih tzu puppy he's 11 weeks old  and has a heart murmur i am willing to put in the time and money for him i work from home and will be with him all day i have 7 kids and another shih tzu is it a good idea to buy him

Answer
I don't know how you could handle a new puppy with 7 kids! That's a lot of work. It all depends on how bad his heart murmur is and what other related problems he has. It sounds like you already bought him anyway so I am not sure why you are asking.

I would have the vet evaluate him before I bought him. Graded heart murmurs mean nothing, that is just how loud they sound. You should have a full work up done on him.

11 weeks old is a bit old for a puppy to be held and then sold. His socializing skills might be a problem, unless he was with a household of kids already.

So get the vet to check him out before you spend a lot of money on a badly bred dog.
Good breeders do not sell dogs with heart murmurs and don't breed parents that produce them either.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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