Whats the cost of having an ECG done on a horse?

[gottabecrazy]

Just wondering how much it will cost to have an ECG done on a horse im looking to purchase.
The vet was called out to do a general health check and while doing this he found a slight heart murmur. I'm waiting for a call back from the vet who diagnosed this murmur but in the mean time was interested to see how much it could cost me for a more in depth investigation.

Anyone had one done recently?

Thanks in advance

 

[twiggy2]

an ECG will only tell you so much and it is likely it will only confirm the vets findings of a heart murmur, it wont tell you why there is a heart murmur so then you may choose to scan and a Rossdales last month a scan cost me about £400.

insurance will likely put massive exclusions on a horse purchased with a murmur, but there are so many out there without them, why would you proceed with this one?

edited to ad mine ha an ECG but I was not charged for it as I am friends with the vets so can't give you a price on that

 

[EstherYoung]

It cost us about £300 to get a heart scan done on Spud (it's the funky scan where the flow shows as different colours that you want). We did it for our own peace of mind and also so that we had something to compare to if he ever deteriorated. In terms of diagnosis, the scan only showed exactly what one of our very experienced 'heart geek' endurance vets had heard in the corner of a windy field... A good heart vet will be able to tell you whether it is anything to worry about, either now or in the future, by listening. The vast majority of murmurs are harmless, the rest come under the 'mostly harmless' category like Spuds, and it is very very few that will cause them to drop dead without warning.

 

[EstherYoung]

Ps a couple of other things about murmurs. Horses hearts are notoriously inefficient and leaky at the best of times. The consultant who scanned Spud said that they are more common in big hearted, athletic horses (hence being very common in tbs and Arabs). There is a school of thought that some murmurs are a side effect of a fit horse having a big, strong heart. Also, the 'loudness' of the murmur is pretty irrelevant as to how serious it is. It depends on whereabouts in the cycle the murmur is occurring, and which valve or chamber is leaking where. You can have a loud, harmless murmur or a quiet deadly one. Spud has three. The two loud ones are completely harmless but his one that may cause issues as he ages is very quiet. Think about it: what makes more noise? Fluid flowing through a large hole, or fluid being forced at pressure through a small hole?

 

[local girl]

Read with interest all the previous replies. Going back about 5 years, I had a details ecg and scan done, only to be told that my horse should never do fast work for long periods, ie event, he could jump do dressage etc. I bred him to event. It never seemed to effect him and he went on to event after a 12 month preparation period. 18 months later, no murmur heard!! It seemed (according to the vet at that time) that the fitter the horse got, the better the murmur was and that it could in some cases disappear completely, just as my boy's had! Hope this helps. Sorry can't help on costs though. Far too long ago to remember..

 

[gottabecrazy]

I thank you all for your replies and have given it lots of thought as this boy is beautiful and has been looking for a loving home to settle into who doesn't mind what this murmur will mean for him.

I will have the vet check him again in a few months to see if there has been any change after a few months.