My dog has a heart murmur? ?

Question

I got him from pet store in May and they required I take him to his vet to get his first exam. What they did not tell me is that he had a heart murmur. I just found this out last week when I took him to another vet. I am planning to sell my dog, not b/c of the heart murmur. What should I do...should I contact the pet store? They did say his health is guaranteed I believe.

Answer 1

A lot of dogs lead quite normal lives with heart mumours - it depends on the severity.  I don't know why you are getting rid of the dog after such a short time but make sure the new owner knows about the problem - even if this means you do not get back what you paid.

Answer 2

Just like with people, there are "harmless" murmurs, which indicates a heart valve is sticking slightly, or a severe one, which may require surgery to repair.  We had a cat with a heart murmur, and our vet simply told us to monitor her weight and to watch for signs of the murmur getting worse, such as lethargy.  Find out what you are dealing with prior to even considering selling the dog.

I would contact the pet store and let them know, but after nearly 4(?) months, I don't think there's any kind of health guarantee they would honor.  Vet checks should be done within the first two weeks of owning a new dog or puppy, and your first vet may have missed it, or the heart murmur may have just developed.  Either way, it is not their responsibility at this point - but they may want to know so they discontinue getting puppies from that breeder.  Some of those conditions are genetic, and the breeder may have inferior breeding stock.

This is why I try to discourage people from buying pet shop puppies.

You just don't know what you're going to get, and many of these dogs are "impulse buys".  The cute little puppies all jumping around in the window at the mall pet store... $400 later the buyer has a high strung breed that is tearing up their couch and they're looking for a new home.  It's a no-win situation for the owner or the puppy.

I am curious as to why you are now selling the dog, as you've only had it for about 4 months.  It would probably be a good idea not to get anymore pets for yourself.  However, you will need to disclose the heart condition to a perspective buyer and you most likely will not get anywhere near what you paid for the dog.

Answer 3

What did you expect with a dog from a petstore?

Petstore puppies are irresponsibly bred, many by puppy mills. Doubt the store will do anything about it but try if you want. You'll need to make sure the new owner knows what having a dog with a heart murmur entails.