Ryuk has a very mild heart murmur as of his last check-up. My first dog had one, she lived to 14 years and was put down due to kidney failure....so I'm not THAT concerned, but Ryuk's a lot more of an active dog that she was.

I'm wondering if it could have anything to do with the three things I constantly bug my vet about but he dismisses as normal....

Ryuk has gotten completely spontaneous hiccups since he was a puppy. They don't happen as much anymore (maaaaybe once a week...if that) but he is literally not doing ANYTHING that would cause hiccups. He gets them lounging on the bed usually...even as a puppy it was never near a meal, just lounging on the bed he'd get hiccups. They last for about 2 minutes and can be startled away.

Second, he's ALWAYS hot. 2 sprints down the field in anything over 40 degrees and he's panting (not tired), he sleeps touching my leg and not next to an open window, he's panting, sometimes he pants just sitting around if it's over 65 degrees out. The length of exercise has nothing to do with how long he'll be trying to cool down afterwards. He could be out for 2 minutes or 2 hours and he'll still take 30 minutes cool down unless I let him lay in the bathtub. He's never gotten full blown heatstroke (he's completely stable on his feet no matter how hard he's panting, no disoreintation, the ONLY thing he's doing is panting, he's otherwise 100% fine and has no discomfort)

The last thing is the amount of water he drinks. I've always had smaller dogs so maybe I'm just not aware how much dogs drink but I fill his auto-water (with a 2 liter bottle) at least twice daily...plus he drinks out of the bathtub for 1 minute intervals a few times a day (he likes the running water and it makes washing off feet after playing outside easier....). He's a dog that loves water and will play in his dish or the tub if I let him....but I don't that that has anything to do with drinking it? (note: when playing in a pond or river he does NOT typically drink the water, he doesn't seek water from puddles, drink from the toilet if I take away his dish....he does lick dew off the grass if I let him though)

Heart murmurs don't cause anything but they can be the symptom of something.

Sometimes they're benign. Sometimes they are the symptom of something like mitral valve scarring or another heart issue. The only real way to find out if there is anything more serious going on is through an xray or ultrasound.

But in an otherwise healthy, fit dog with a very low grade murmur chances are pretty good that it is just a benign murmur and nothing to worry about

Hi Jamie,

My Presa has a "Sub-aortic Stenosis" or a 'heart murmur.' She's had ultra-sounds and cardiographs, and the specialist says the most important thing to do is keep her in good cardio - Don't let her get out of shape. That's easier said than done with a lazy Presa! The rational is, it's important to keep the heart efficient.

Laya is also very heat sensitive, which makes exercising in the summer hard. But, she's also COLD sensitive (no undercoat) which makes exercising in the winter hard. Solution: Cool collars and vests plus LOTS of water in the summer, and boots and jacket in the winter. She's got so much bling Lil' Wayne is jealous! haha

Did I mention she's also lazy and has close to no toy drive? We do lots of hikes, and I keep her in obedience (working Utility now) so she has to move around and jump some. This is all hard on her joints, however.

The BEST thing they can do is swim. I wish Laya liked this on her own, but no. So we do the underwater treadmill and endless pool at our water rehab center.