Confused - should a pet Boxer be heart holtered too?

Morning Sun · #1 03-10-2008, 05:24 PM

I understand why Boxers who are being breed are heart holtered, but is it necessary to do it on a "pet" not show Boxer who is spayed/neutered?

**GoCougs** · #2 03-10-2008, 05:43 PM

Necessary? I don't think so. It's all personal preference, in my book.

For a dog that isn't going to be shown or bred, I'm of the school that "ignorance is bliss". If you are of the type that doesn't like to be blind-sided by bad news, by all means you should probably do it. I, however, would rather not know so that way if my dog does have issues I don't have to spend the rest of it's life worrying or waiting for the day it crosses the bridge. But that's me.

For a show dog, that will be used as for breeding, there is no question. It's absolutely necessary.

ELubas · #3 03-10-2008, 07:11 PM

I would only add that there are so many amazing drug therapies now that if you know the dog has a problem you stand a really good chance of extending their life, and making it a high quality life, if you holter. I have an SAS boy going strong at over six (the holter showed arrythmias in addition to his SAS so they changed his meds), but lost a girl young to BCM-she had a murmumr but I never holtered her. She was a great dog and I will always wonder... None of this is meant to scare you but to give you food for thought. Heart disease is not a death sentence anymore and to get that clean holter (like I got on my girl now) is a wonderful thing. And I hope your pup lives a long and healthy life close by your side

mrloki · #4 03-23-2008, 07:31 PM

could someone please explain to me what heart holtering is???

ELubas · #5 03-24-2008, 03:05 PM

Hi there. The dog wears a heart monitor for twenty four hours to record the heart rythmns and spot any irregularities, just like people do.

**gmacleod** · #6 03-24-2008, 04:15 PM

Just to add to the above - a holter monitor is a form of EKG. It is for monitoring/detecting heart arrythmias which can indicate abnormalities or disease such as boxer cardiomyopathy that aren't easily noticed any other way. Since that's a genetically inherited disease, it should be quite obvious why any animal considered for breeding needs annual checks prior to being bred (in this case, it's for avoiding passing on serious disease, not just for diagnosing it). For non-breeding animals, the only purpose is early indication that the dog may be affected.

CC · #7 03-26-2008, 02:02 PM

We've had it done on our boy - but where I live it's not exactly an elective procedure (unless you breed).

But when he fainted and collapsed one day, the cardiologist at the emergency vet suspected BCM and advised several diagnostics, including the holter, to rule other conditions out before he'd prescribe meds for BCM. The other tests did not provide enough info to diagnose with BCM, for that we needed the holter...and we have done a second one since starting medication to see if it's helping (it is!). We may do a third in another six months or so to ensure he's still doing fine and doesn't need an adjustment in his medication.

It's bloody expensive, for sure, and I wish we didn't have to keep doing them, but I'll do anything I can to keep my guy's heart working as well as it can, and if this is what it takes, we'll gladly do it.