What causes an enlarged heart?

[Tracy915]

I have a new baby. She is actually 11 weeks old. Plays actively. Eats regularly. Has gained about 2 oz. a week. She's perfect. No coughing. No heart murmur. BUt has has a bit of a cold. Took her to vet and with an xray found a slightly enlarged heart , nemic, and an infection. Any thoughts. We are having the xrays fedexed to an expert. BUt it feels like forever to hear back. Vet said heart problems generally have a murmur. Maybe at 1.9 lbs she needs to grow into her heart. BUt I am just about to die with worry. Any thoughts or past experience. Thanks!!!

[maxmom]

Sorry.Don't know what to say, other than I really hope she grows enough for her heart size, and gets well soon.

[Lovetodream88]

A while ago like maybe a year ago they had done an xray of Callie and said her heart looked a little enlarged and I cant remember who it was but a few people on here (yorkietalk) told me that yorkies generally have larger hearts so maybe thats all it is. I hope so.

[my2boyz]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

A while ago like maybe a year ago they had done an xray of Callie and said her heart looked a little enlarged and I cant remember who it was but a few people on here (yorkietalk) told me that yorkies generally have larger hearts so maybe thats all it is. I hope so.

I'm glad you posted this info because I have read the same thing. I've heard that Yorkies have a slightly larger heart and there were a lot of misdiagnosis of heart conditions because of this. I wish I could remember where I read or heard it though...

[mimimomo]

Yorkies have what's called a large heart shadow in an x-ray. It can be misdiagnosed for an enlarged heart. Does your baby have a heart murmur? When the vet checked her heart w/a stethoscope, did her heart sound ok? If it did, then it's probably just a heart shadow. I learned the hard way & paid over $500 for an endocardiogram, a sonogram of the heart for Momo & he was fine. You would think a specialist knows the difference....

[Tracy915]

Did your puppy have any other symptoms? I am praying I am as bleesed as you and it is a shadow. A specialist is reading x-rays as we speak and advicing what the next step should be. Can you recommend any websites to research this?

[107barney]

Faxing x-rays to a specialist is not going to be sufficient. To save money in the long run, have a cardiologist examine your dog. You will find out for sure what is going on, if anything is going on.

Like Momo's momma, we spent about $1100 to have Barney have some pretty xrays done and other waste of money testing only to get the advice "well he's fine just watch him". He actually had a respiratory infection and we discovered the "enlarged heart" while checking out his heart and lungs for his cough. The telephone specialist wrote a fancy report that talked about my dog's stomach lining being of "grave concern" and when I rushed him to the internist with a specialty in digestive issues, I was quickly reassured.


I hope you can find a cardiologist in your area. Good luck and keep us posted. Here's a link you might find helpful: Board Certified Veterinary Cardiologists

[Ladymom]

I agree with 107Barney. She needs to be evaluated by a board certified cardiologist.

Did you just get her? The fact that she has an infection, a cold and is anemic is a concern as she may not have been healthy when you got her.

Did you get a health guarantee? Have you spoken to her breeder?

[bchgirl]

Originally Posted by my2boyz

I'm glad you posted this info because I have read the same thing. I've heard that Yorkies have a slightly larger heart and there were a lot of misdiagnosis of heart conditions because of this. I wish I could remember where I read or heard it though...

Perhaps me. Reese was diagnosed via an x ray. Absolutely no other symptoms of a heart issue. I took him to a cardiologist who explained veterinarians compare heart sizes to a image chart. Yorkie's hearts are larger...but didn't we know that? Reese's heart is fine.

A cardiologist won't rely on an x ray for their diagnosis either. Reese had an ultrasound performed. The cost of the visit and test was around $225.