Canine Degenerative Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease: Natural History, Clinical Presentation and Therapy

Abstract

Myxomatous mitral valve disease is a common condition in geriatric dogs Most dogs affected are clinically asymptomatic for a long time However, about 30% of these animals present a progression to heart failure and eventually die as a consequence of the disease Left atrial enlargement, and particularly a change in left atrial size, seems to be the most reliable predictor of progression in some studies, however further studies are needed to clarify how to recognize asymptomatic patients at higher risk of developing heart failure. According to the published data on the natural history of the disease and the results of published studies evaluating the effect of early therapy on delaying the progression of the disease, it seems that no currently available treatment delays the onset of clinical signs of congestive heart failure (CHF) Although the ideal treatment of more severely affected dogs is probably surgical mitral valve repair or mitral valve replacement, this is not a currently available option. The results of several clinical trials together with clinical experience suggest that dogs with overt CHF can be managed with acceptable quality of life for a relatively long time period with medical treatment including furosemide, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, pimobendan, and spironolactone

Keywords

Canine; Mitral valve; Myxomatous degeneration; Therapy

Published in

Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice
2010, volume: 40, number: 4, pages: 651-663
Publisher: W B SAUNDERS CO-ELSEVIER INC

SLU Authors

• Häggström, Jens

  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Animal and Dairy Science
Veterinary Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2010.03.008

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/60872