Heart murmur in dogs

Measured in 19 breeds across 3 sources. Figures are grouped by how they were measured, because those groups are not comparable with one another.

35.9%Highest recorded
19Breeds measured
$822Typical treatment cost

Lifetime, owner-reported

Share of dogs whose owners report the dog has ever had the condition.

Counts everything a dog has ever had, so it runs higher than a one-year rate and is not comparable with one.

  • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 61

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    35.9% 29.1% to 43.3%
  • Chihuahua

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 43

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    18.8% 14.2% to 24.3%
  • Havanese

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 24

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    13.3% 9.1% to 19.1%
  • Shih Tzu

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 23

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    11.9% 8.1% to 17.3%
  • Dachshund

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 32

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    9.4% 6.7% to 13%
  • Miniature Schnauzer

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 18

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    9.4% 6% to 14.3%
  • Beagle

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 18

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    8.7% 5.6% to 13.4%
  • Boston Terrier

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 12

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    7.5% 4.4% to 12.7%
  • Boxer

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 13

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    6.6% 3.9% to 10.9%
  • Poodle

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 27

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    5.8% 4% to 8.3%
  • Doberman Pinscher

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 7

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    4.9% 2.4% to 9.7%
  • Shetland Sheepdog

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 7

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    4.5% 2.2% to 9.1%

Owner survey

Share of dogs whose owners reported the condition at one point in time.

Depends on owners noticing and recalling. Mild or resolved cases are undercounted.

  • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

    breed-specific finding KC survey 2017, 2014

    Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported

    9.7% 8.1% to 11.4% $822 typical
  • Bichon Frise

    breed-specific finding KC survey 2017, 2014

    Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported

    3.4% 1.8% to 6.4% $822 typical
  • Shetland Sheepdog

    breed-specific finding KC survey 2017, 2014

    Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported

    2.2% 1.1% to 4.3% $822 typical
  • Miniature Schnauzer

    breed-specific finding KC survey 2017, 2014

    Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported

    1.4% 0.82% to 2.3% $822 typical
  • German Shorthaired Pointer

    breed-specific finding KC survey 2017, 2014

    Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported

    1.1% 0.43% to 2.8% $822 typical
  • Whippet

    breed-specific finding KC survey 2017, 2014

    Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported

    0.99% 0.48% to 2% $822 typical

1-year clinical

Share of dogs recorded with the condition in a single year of veterinary records.

Not a lifetime risk. A dog that develops this at age 9 is not counted in a year it was not diagnosed.

Where these figures come from

  • Dog Aging Project breeds 2023 Grade B

    Forsyth KK, McCoy BM, Schmid SM, Promislow DEL, Snyder-Mackler N, the DAP Consortium. Lifetime prevalence of owner-reported medical conditions in the 25 most common dog breeds in the Dog Aging Project pack. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2023;10:1140417.

    View source
  • VetCompass Cavalier 2015 Grade A

    Summers JF, O'Neill DG, Church DB, Thomson PC, McGreevy PD, Brodbelt DC. Prevalence of disorders recorded in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels attending primary-care veterinary practices in England. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. 2015;3:1.

    View source
  • KC survey 2017 Grade C

    Wiles BM, Llewellyn-Zaidi AM, Evans KM, O'Neill DG, Lewis TW. Large-scale survey to estimate the prevalence of disorders for 192 Kennel Club registered breeds. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. 2017;4:8.

    View source

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