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[RC] Heart Murmur - Patti Kuvik

From: Kathy Ramspott <kramspott@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [RC]   Heart Murmur

Do you mean you personally check it consistently or have a vet out?  If
you do do you just use a stethescope?  What does a horse heart murmur
sound like if any of us wanted to check for it I guess is what I'm
really asking.



Kathy R - Se


This article has a basic explanation of evaluating heart sounds - including
where to listen with a stethescope.
http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/aaep/1999/266.pdf
A "good" stethescope can really make a difference in being able to hear
heart sounds - my "barn" steth is a Littman Master Classic
http://www.stethoscope.com/index.cfm?event=CatDisplay&CategoryID=1 but the
Classic II or Select are OK and a little more affordable. The $10 tack
catalog stethescopes aren't much good for more than checking a pulse unless
you have really good ears.
Many murmurs are transient - from elyte imbalance, exercise, dehydration,
fever - and will go away when the cause is corrected.
Murmurs that persist over a period of time can reflect an underlying defect
in or damage to the heart tissue or valves, or can be from vegetative
buildup on the valves following an infection (prevents them closing).
The "sound" of a murmur is caused by turbulence or backflow through a valve
which isn't closed completely and can range from a soft "whisper" sound to a
strong "whoosh". With a little practice, it's not difficult to separate
"normal" from "abnormal" heart sounds - interpreting and understanding them
is a whole other chapter.
In humans, we use EKG and ultrasound (Echo cardiogram) for further
diagnostics. EKG's are pretty available now for horses but the vets here
would know more about Echo or other scanning available for horses.

Patti Kuvik
Vail AZ


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