Lola!

Question
I just recently bought a white female boxer. We put a deposit on her, and when we went to pick her up the breeder told us she had a 2 out of 6 heart mummur. We took her anyways, (we were told we wouldnt get our money back). Shes been a wounderful puppy full of energy sleeps, eats, drinks, etc when she wants to. She is now 5 months old. I brought her to my vet and my vet told me i shouldnt of bought a dog with a heart mummur. I felt devastated! I love her. My boyfriend and i researched mummurs in boxers on the internet, and it sounds common, do we have anything to worry about? my vet also said it will still be okay to fix her is that true?

Tell me something i want to her :)

Answer
Heart murmurs are not uncommon in Boxer puppies; some may disappear as the dog gets older, some may not.  In most cases, even if the murmur does stay, it will not have any significant effect on the dog's quality or length of life; that said, dogs with severe murmurs may be at risk of sudden death.  Murmurs, if they're staying, tend to progress as the dog ages, but by maturity the progression has slowed down enough to be considered stopped.  So I would keep an eye on it to be sure it isn't progressing rapidly; if it does (say it's graded a 3-4 of 6 or higher), or if it's still present at a year of age, I'd recommend she see a board-certified veterinary cardiologist, to get an accurate grading (some general practice vets are very good at grading murmurs; some are very bad at it) and to pinpoint the location and cause of the murmur.  The most common cause of murmurs in the Boxer, other than what are called "flow murmurs" which are not related to any disease, is Aortic Stenosis.  Again, dogs which are mildly or moderately affected tend to live normal lives, while dogs that are severely affected tend to succumb to the disease.  

Surgery is generally not of much greater risk for dogs with mild murmurs; sometimes a vet will prescribe pre- and post-surgical antibiotics, especially if dental work is being done, as there can be a higher risk of infection of the heart.  I would certainly be sure the murmur is still graded at 2 or perhaps 3 of 6 - any higher and I'd see a cardiologist before agreeing to surgery.

Good luck!