How much exercise for a Cavalier with a heart problem?

Question:
My three-year-old Cavalier has just been diagnosed with a heart murmur. On a severity scale of one to six the vet said he would place it at two as a rough guide. My dog is not overweight and enjoys lots of long walks. The vet said Columba can be exercised as normal unless he appears tired.

Could you tell me how many miles it would be wise to walk him? Is too much exercise dangerous? Also, as we live in the Isle of Man, my dog travels by plane with me several times a year. I am sure that air travel does stress him, although he is always fine once I get him out of his box. Could this stress do any harm to him with his heart condition? Grace East hope, email address.


Answer:
Heart murmurs in Cavaliers usually relate to incomplete closure of the heart valves as the heart pumps. The result of this is a backflow of blood which can be heard as an abnormal sound
or 'murmur'.

This means that the heart doesn't pump quite so much blood out to the circulation as it should, and the backflow of blood can lead to increased pressure in the circulation leading to the heart.

In mild cases, a dog's heart can compensate by beating harder and faster with few ill effects, but in more severe cases symptoms such as weakness, lethargy, coughing and even collapse can occur.

A young, fit dog like yours may well be able to cope with a slight heart problem, but the chances are that it will worsen as he gets older, and any major stresses, such as over-exercise, can hasten his deterioration.

It's impossible to say how much exercise is too much as that depends on a number of factors, and a certain amount of exercise is obviously a good thing.

One of the most important things is consistency of exercise - try to take your dog for the same length of walks every day (and preferably two or three shorter walks daily rather than one long one).

Anything that stresses Columba won't help his condition, but if he is used to air travel it's unlikely to cause a major problem while he remains a fit and healthy animal.

However, high altitudes may cause blood pressure changes which affect heart function and if Columba's heart deteriorates it may get more difficult for him to cope with air travel.For the time being I don't think you need to be too concerned - your vet has said his murmur is fairly mild and it is causing him no problems at present.

If you are at all concerned about Columba you should seek prompt veterinary attention.

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