3-beat heartbeat??

tucklove · 03-14-2005, 07:45 PM

the vet came out today and was taking my horses' pulses. well my three year old has a three beat heart beat! it goes: pump pump-pump weirdest thing i've ever heard! the vet kept asking if i'd been riding his a lot or working his all the time, i said no, i haven't started working him at all this year. he said he's only ever heard a 3 beat heart beat in endurance horses or other really conditioned horses. i've never heard of it at all! any of you familiar with this?

harli36 · 03-14-2005, 08:48 PM

Actually if you listen very, very closely and get a practiced ear. You can actually hear 4 "beats" coming from the heart. The main two, aka the lub-dub are the ones that pretty much anyone can hear. But then there are two small almost inaudible swooshing sounds. This would be more audible in a very well conditioned horse, or one who is cooling out from a work out. Just guessing that you are only hearing 3 of the 4 sounds for some reason.

However a more probable guess, without hearing it myself, would be that your horse has a hear murmur. Depending on where the problem is a heart murmur can sound like 3 beats. But I can't figure out why your vet wouldn't tell you this. Personally I would ask the vet you had out today if it could be a heart murmur, if so why and if not why. Ask as many questions as you can. If the vet hums and haw's then they probably don't know what they are talking about and have another vet out, before you start working this horse to tell you.

tucklove · 03-14-2005, 10:18 PM

eep! i'll call tomorrow!

Blistering Winds · 03-14-2005, 10:23 PM

I'm with harli. You should, if you listen VERY carefully, hear 4.

if you are hearing a slough that you THINK is a 3rd, you might have a murmer. You'd be suprised how many hosres have murmers.

A horse won't add another BEAT because he's more in shape. The heart only has 4 chambers and 4 valve openings. So saying there is an "extra" one is, in my opinion, a vet trying to shut you up or "make you happy". And just doesnt care.

I'd call a second vet and have him checked JUST in case.

tucklove · 03-14-2005, 11:18 PM

it's not a whooshing sound at all, it's like lub dub and then a softer but very distinct second dub. i just looked around on the web to read up on hearts; very interesting about the four beating sounds. thanks a lot for the advice, i'll call my other vet tomorrow. better safe than sorry in any case!

PawNHoofPrints · 03-20-2005, 09:44 AM

A trained ear can actually hear 4 heart sounds on every horse so I wouldn't freak out. Older horses more commonly have a diastolic murmur so you wouldn't hear an "extra beat" at all with it just a continous whoosh. Many murmurs in horses will "disappear" with exercise. The ability to hear additional heart sounds in a horse (in comparison to a dog or cat in which it is abnormal) is due to the increased volume of blood flowing through their heart. The heart sounds are actually due to the turbulence in the blood created by the opening and closing of the valves so the more blood present, the more turbulence, and the louder the sound.

tucklove · 03-20-2005, 08:10 PM

this heart info is so interesting, poor horse is getting sick of me going out there with a stethescope! that's a neat fact about the turbulance, must be like a white squall in tuck's heart, lol. thanks so much for the replies!

03-14-2005, 07:45 PM	#1
tucklove Senior Member+ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 1,355 Images: 165 Blog Entries: 182	3-beat heartbeat?? the vet came out today and was taking my horses' pulses. well my three year old has a three beat heart beat! it goes: pump pump-pump weirdest thing i've ever heard! the vet kept asking if i'd been riding his a lot or working his all the time, i said no, i haven't started working him at all this year. he said he's only ever heard a 3 beat heart beat in endurance horses or other really conditioned horses. i've never heard of it at all! any of you familiar with this? __________________ There's one bit that works on every horse; a bit of knowledge. Driftin Page 1982 AQHM Royally Smarter 1992 AQHG Savvy Shootin Tucker 2002 AQHG DirtySongNDance 2007 AQHM Simon 2007 cowdog RIP Peso Love you Weazer

03-14-2005, 08:48 PM	#2
harli36 Senior Member+ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: northeastern Pa Posts: 4,613 Images: 43	Actually if you listen very, very closely and get a practiced ear. You can actually hear 4 "beats" coming from the heart. The main two, aka the lub-dub are the ones that pretty much anyone can hear. But then there are two small almost inaudible swooshing sounds. This would be more audible in a very well conditioned horse, or one who is cooling out from a work out. Just guessing that you are only hearing 3 of the 4 sounds for some reason. However a more probable guess, without hearing it myself, would be that your horse has a hear murmur. Depending on where the problem is a heart murmur can sound like 3 beats. But I can't figure out why your vet wouldn't tell you this. Personally I would ask the vet you had out today if it could be a heart murmur, if so why and if not why. Ask as many questions as you can. If the vet hums and haw's then they probably don't know what they are talking about and have another vet out, before you start working this horse to tell you. __________________ The Morgan Horse! Everything else is just a horse. http://www.morganhorse.com/ “I have been NOEL’ed and Blessed In His Name” It's all fun and games until someone looses an eye *Splat I've been snowballed!!!!!!!!*

03-14-2005, 10:18 PM	#3
tucklove Senior Member+ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 1,355 Images: 165 Blog Entries: 182	eep! i'll call tomorrow! __________________ There's one bit that works on every horse; a bit of knowledge. Driftin Page 1982 AQHM Royally Smarter 1992 AQHG Savvy Shootin Tucker 2002 AQHG DirtySongNDance 2007 AQHM Simon 2007 cowdog RIP Peso Love you Weazer

03-14-2005, 10:23 PM	#4
Blistering Winds Senior Member+ Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Augusta, Kansas Posts: 32,098 Images: 836 Blog Entries: 17	I'm with harli. You should, if you listen VERY carefully, hear 4. if you are hearing a slough that you THINK is a 3rd, you might have a murmer. You'd be suprised how many hosres have murmers. A horse won't add another BEAT because he's more in shape. The heart only has 4 chambers and 4 valve openings. So saying there is an "extra" one is, in my opinion, a vet trying to shut you up or "make you happy". And just doesnt care. I'd call a second vet and have him checked JUST in case. __________________ HGS is a very powerful, addicting place that is just as bad as cigarettes, however healthier for you AND your horse.

03-14-2005, 11:18 PM	#5
tucklove Senior Member+ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 1,355 Images: 165 Blog Entries: 182	it's not a whooshing sound at all, it's like lub dub and then a softer but very distinct second dub. i just looked around on the web to read up on hearts; very interesting about the four beating sounds. thanks a lot for the advice, i'll call my other vet tomorrow. better safe than sorry in any case! __________________ There's one bit that works on every horse; a bit of knowledge. Driftin Page 1982 AQHM Royally Smarter 1992 AQHG Savvy Shootin Tucker 2002 AQHG DirtySongNDance 2007 AQHM Simon 2007 cowdog RIP Peso Love you Weazer

03-20-2005, 09:44 AM	#6
PawNHoofPrints Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: USA Posts: 762	A trained ear can actually hear 4 heart sounds on every horse so I wouldn't freak out. Older horses more commonly have a diastolic murmur so you wouldn't hear an "extra beat" at all with it just a continous whoosh. Many murmurs in horses will "disappear" with exercise. The ability to hear additional heart sounds in a horse (in comparison to a dog or cat in which it is abnormal) is due to the increased volume of blood flowing through their heart. The heart sounds are actually due to the turbulence in the blood created by the opening and closing of the valves so the more blood present, the more turbulence, and the louder the sound.

03-20-2005, 08:10 PM	#7
tucklove Senior Member+ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 1,355 Images: 165 Blog Entries: 182	this heart info is so interesting, poor horse is getting sick of me going out there with a stethescope! that's a neat fact about the turbulance, must be like a white squall in tuck's heart, lol. thanks so much for the replies! __________________ There's one bit that works on every horse; a bit of knowledge. Driftin Page 1982 AQHM Royally Smarter 1992 AQHG Savvy Shootin Tucker 2002 AQHG DirtySongNDance 2007 AQHM Simon 2007 cowdog RIP Peso Love you Weazer

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