heart murmur mistake!

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daddies_girl

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i'd just to like a post for all those who have recieved depressing news on vetting results...
I'm sure my case was a bit of a freak, but we travelled a very long way to look at a mare and decided she was right for us.
But, when we got her vetted, we were depressed to discover she had a heart murmur. as a famiy we really had to think about whether or not we should have it insvestigated, and ventually we decided on having it scanned, to see how bad it was. To our shock and delightl, the cardiologist said it was a false alarm, and she had a very strong heart... Needless to say we bought her and she is bringing us great joy. I would just like to emphasise that if you really love a horse, the vetting shpuld not be the end of the road!!
 
Interestingly, this exact same thing happened to me selling a horse. She came up with a heart murmur in a vetting and we couldn't believe it, since it had never been mentioned by a vet before and the horse had certainly never shown any signs of performance loss. So the owners took her at their own expense to a big veterinary hospital for a heart work up, figuring even if it didn't help that sale they should have the info for the next potential buyer.

The cardiologist literally looked at the horse and started laughing, before she'd even listened to her heart! She told us there are some horses, especially barrel bodied warmblood-types whose hearts are situated in such a way that vets, especially ones used to listening to more TB type animals hearts, think they hear a murmur. Oddly, it seems to happen more often in very naturally fit (in a cardiovascular sense), chilled horses with slow natural heart rhythms. She did what tests she could, which all showed the horse to be completely healthy with absolutely no structural or functional heart abnormalities.

On a similar note, I sold a mare with very obvious natural dapples in her coat. She "failed" her vetting on the vet looking at her eyes and finding abnormalities on her retinas. Cue another expensive specialist visit, who told us that horses with that skin/coat patterning also have "dappled" retinas, which look different enough from other horses' that vets think there's something wrong.

Sometimes a little bit of science is a dangerous thing!
 
I had a horse vetted and the vet said it had a murmur. The 'dealer' I was buying through, their brother is a vet and he said it did not. Anyway, I bought the horse and when I got it home had it re-vetted by my vet who agreed no murmur.

Evented him for 2 years and when I sold him he had a full 5 stage vetting and no murmur present.

I think I would now always get a second opinion on a murmur
 
My first pony failed his vetting due to a 'massive' heart murmer and it was advised that he should never be ridden again and should be PTS. The owners paid for a full heart work up and yes, he did have a murmer but it was caused by a lazy valve and the valve started to work as soon as the pony was worked. The second vet advised keeping the pony fit and active and said he'd probably die in his sleep one day. The vendors gave him to us and the second vet was right - he did die in his sleep on day - 15 years later after a very full life of PC, jumping, hunter trials, hunting and hacking for hours.

Guess it all depends on the vet and the murmer.
 
We found a lovely little horse for my daughter earlier this summer which failed the vetting on a heart murmur - the owners then took her off to a specialist where she was found to have heart disease. Apparently very rare but so bad that she shouldn't be ridden and has to be PTS at some stage. Tragic as she was really lovely and shouldn't be bred from either as heart not up to it. Be aware therefore that not all heart murmurs are benign and I am personally thankful we had her vetted.
 
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