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Discussion on Foal with heart murmur
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New Member: Hamil
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003 - 11:06 am:
I have a week old foal with a heart murmur and need to know what steps to take going forward. He was very small at birth but is gaining weight and is very active. Is there medical help for his problem?
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Moderator: DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 24, 2003 - 9:53 am:
Your next step depends on the character of the murmur Jean. Low grade flow murmurs are common in new born foals and have little significance. For the first 3 or 4 days a louder murmur, found on the left side around the aortic spot is also within the range of normal. It is due to a patent ductus arteriosis, the hole in the middle of the heart, that closes at or shortly after birth. If the murmur persists longer than this, echocardiography may be needed to evaluate the significance. DrO
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