Heart murmur is actually a whistling and switching sound heard by the doctor when he examines your chest with his stethoscope. It is diagnosed when the heart does not have its normal rhythm, or there is a turbulent of the flow of the blood in the heart valves. The heart is actually divided in two sections which are individually responsible for the transportation of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood. The right and left atriums are those which carry blood towards the heart, while ventricular is responsible for transporting the blood away from the heart. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood which is then transferred to left ventricle from which the blood is transported to different parts of the body. The right atrium receives de-oxygenated blood from different parts of the body which is then transported to the lungs for oxygenation through right ventricle.

If due to any reason a blockage arises in the path of the blood flow, or the valves disrupt, then it leads to malfunctioning of the circulatory system. This problem is termed as stenosis and it is characterized by the condition in which the pressure and density of the blood changes. Heart murmuris the consequence of stenosis.

The heart murmur usually affects individuals belonging to adolescents and teenage group. It is rated on the scale of 1 to 6 according to the loudness of sound produced. The grade 1 murmur is barely audible, while on the other hand grade 6 is very loud. It is a common misconception in the mind of the people that all heart murmurs are serious. But in reality, in some cases they could be normal and are termed as innocent murmurs.

The problem of heart murmur is classified in three types, which are as follows.

The first one is the systolic type that occurs during the contraction of heart muscles. Systolic murmurs are further divided into ejection murmur, which is the consequence of narrowing of blood vessels or some irregularity in the valves, and another one is regurgitate murmur in which blood leaks back into the atria from the ventricles.

Second one is diastolic murmur which occurs during the relaxation of heart between consecutive heart beats. The diastolic murmurs occur due to narrowing of tricuspid or mitral valves or regurgitation of pulmonary or aortic valves.

The third one is continuous murmurs which occur throughout the cardiac cycle.

There is an exclusive treatment for each type of heart murmur case, depending upon its severity. For the individuals who are diagnosed with innocent heart murmur, no further treatment is required. However, some cases of heart murmur may also indicate serious infection with the heart valves. For such type of cases, antibiotic treatment is required. Also, in case if some damage in the valves is found, then the doctor may decide to replenish that wound with surgery. One should understand that heart murmur is not a problem in itself; rather it is the indication of several other problems which are already present in the heart and need immediate attention. Therefore it should not be taken as normal.


Detecting the problem of canine heart murmur

Sometimes it is difficult to detect the problem of canine heart murmur and it may require the prescription and supervision from an expert. Also, phonocardiogram is also required to recognize the type of heart murmur. However, in most of the cases this problem does not affect dogs severely, but in some cases it may have crucial consequences, or may result in the ultimate death of the dog. The severity of this problem also depends on the breed and age of the dog.

Heart murmur is the situation when the heart beat is long and does not have the normal rhythm. This problem is caused by the turbulence of the flow of the blood in the heart. The heart is actually divided in two section which are individual responsible for the transportation of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood. The right and left atriums are those which carry blood towards the heart, while ventricular is responsible for transporting the blood away from the heart. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood which is then transferred to left ventricle from which the blood is transported to different parts of the body. The right atrium receives de-oxygenated blood from different parts of the body which is then transported to the lungs for oxygenation through right ventricle.

If due to any reason a blockage arises in the path of the blood flow, or the valves disrupt, then it leads to malfunctioning of the circulatory system. This problem is termed as stenosis and it is characterized by the condition in which the pressure and density of the blood changes. Heart murmuris the consequence of stenosis.

This problem is classified in four types that vary in terms of their characteristics.

The first one is the innocent type in which is of medium frequency and results in systolic ejection. This problem is commonly associated with kittens and dogs having thin chests.

Second one, which is functional type may show frequency ranging from medium to high with consequences somewhat similar to innocent type. This problem is also sometimes augmented with hyperthyroidism, anemia, high cardiac outputs, tachycardia and fever.

The most dangerous type of heart murmur is pathologic type, in which the frequency may be very low to very high. Intense dilation of AV valve and systolic anterior valve may occur due to this. This problem is commonly associated with dilated cardiomyopathy, congenital heart defects, acquired valve disease and aortic outflow tract obstruction.

The last type is the continuous type of heart murmur, in which gradual increase and gradual decrease of the frequency occurs. This problem is mostly associated with PDA.

There are several symptoms that may appear as the result of heart murmur problem. Like if the dog has difficulty in breathing and he tries to struggle with any exercise, then he is likely to be suffering from this syndrome. Other symptoms may include inactiveness, faintness, bluishness in mouth, coughing and behavioral changes.

Heart murmur is a serious problem, and it should be treated as soon as possible so that you dog can live a normal life

Three important tips to prevent heart disease

Till now not a single definite treatment for heart disease is available, and above that almost all the treatments are very expensive. Therefore, a doctor no doubt will recommend its prevention as the best cure instead of the treatment through a fitness plan.

Following are three important tips to avoid a heart disease, even at the old age.

• Implement a heart healthy diet plan

The diet of an individual is a crucial factor that will determine the health of his heart in future. To keep the heart safe against all the heart ailments, a doctor will recommend you to follow a diet plan known as DASH (Dietary approaches to stop hypertension). A heart healthy diet is one with low fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy. For limiting the health disease, elimination of harmful fats including the saturated fat and trans-fat from the diet is mandatory. These fats deposit on the walls of the artery, leading to heart problems and moreover, may also raise blood cholesterol level.

A heart healthy diet must consists of food stuff rich in good fat, which includes polyunsaturated fats such as Omega-3 fatty acids which are available in certain fishes (like tuna, halibut, salmon, mackerel and herring), legumes and low fat sources of protein. These days many people avoid direct consumption of fishes as they are afraid of potential toxin problem in fishes. Thus for those people, fish oil capsule is the best alternative.

Consumption of a healthy diet does not mean that you should starve yourself. Instead, you should select right material consisting of right amount of nutrients in the diet.

• Pursuing a healthy lifestyle

It is important to evaluate the lifestyle as you get time to determine any improvement that is need to be done in it in favor of prevention of heart disease. Most importantly, one should completely eliminate cigarettes and tobacco products from their daily living. Smoking in one chief menace favoring the development of heart disease. Even tobacco is considered to be the source of lots of chemical that are harmful against the heart causing atherosclerosis to the arteries (narrowing of arteries). Also, the contraceptive pills consumed by the women of age more than 35 years may lead to heart problems in them.

• Be Active

Physical activity of any kind is one chief method which reduces the risk of heart disease by a considerable amount. An active lifestyle of an individual with suitable body weight will surely have a better pay-off. Indulging in moderate physical activities of at least 30 minutes to 60 minutes Daily activities such as gardening, walking, housekeeping and even taking the stairs will include your daily workout against heart disease. Also, a good idea of workout should be going for a long walk every day on the regular basis.

These are some of the tips to keep the heart related problems from approaching in the future. A slight maintenance of the lifestyle favoring the heart will surely pay significantly towards the health of your heart and there is no better time than today to start following them.

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