Diseases are never fun to talk about… But it’s important to learn about them, as it can help us prolong our buddies’ lives. In this post, we’ll be looking into Mitral Valve Disease in dogs. A degenerative disease of the heart’s valves, Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) is the most common cause of a heart murmur in canines. While it comprises 75% of all heart diseases in dogs, it’s considered uncommon in cats. Let’s learn more about this condition!
Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs – what is it?
As you probably know, the canine’s (and human’s) heart is responsible for pumping blood around the body.
The heart has four chambers, called the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, and left ventricle. To enter each chamber there is a valve, which is a one-way door. Those valves are responsible for keeping the blood flowing in the proper direction. The mitral valve is the valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle.
MVD is a degeneration and fibrosis of the heart’s mitral valve. As the diseased mitral valve degenerates, the valve becomes thickened and shorter. This causes the valve to lose its flexibility, leading to an incomplete seal, and allowing blood to leak back (be regurgitated) into the left atrium. This abnormal flow of blood causes the turbulence we can hear with a stethoscope, called a heart murmur.
Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs – what are the consequences?
As blood starts to enter the left atrium in two directions at once, the left ventricle has to increase the force of its contraction, which in turn leads to enlargement of the heart. This means the heart has to work harder to pump the volume of blood the body needs for normal functions, which may lead to congestive heart failure.
This degeneration of the valve comes from a progressively degenerative process of unclear origin (although presumably genetic). Senior dogs, small dog breeds and certain other breeds are predisposed, such as: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Poodle, Chihuahua, Pinscher, Cocker Spaniel, Fox Terrier, and so on.
Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs – what are the signs?
On its own, a heart murmur is often accompanied by absolutely no signs. That’s why it’s so important to have your veterinarian check your dog’s heart for any murmurs on a yearly basis. Once the heart murmur is detected, according to the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, an echocardiogram should be performed every 6 months, so the disease can be detected in its early stages.
As previously mentioned, a heart murmur can progress into congestive heart failure. In this case, you will see symptoms like cough, exercise intolerance or difficulty breathing.
Other signs like lethargy, fainting, reduced appetite, collapsing, swelling in the abdomen and muscle loss can also be detected.
Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs – how can it be treated?
Unfortunately, a cure for Mitral Valve Disease in dogs does not exist. A combination of drugs is used to control the signs and prolong life with the best quality of life possible.
There are different treatment plans depending on what stage of heart disease the dog is. There are five stages:
- A – No disease present, but at high risk of developing it (predisposed breeds).
- B1 – There is a murmur, but no symptoms nor heart enlargement.
- B2 – Murmur plus heart enlargement, but no symptoms. Medication starts in this stage.
- C – Symptoms appear.
- D – End-stage heart disease, not responding to treatment.
Medication starts on the B2 stage and is increased with time. As you can see, the symptoms only appear in the fourth stage – that’s why it’s so important to have routine cardiac auscultations.
Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs – what to expect?
The earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the prognosis for the dog. It’s very important to investigate, stage and treat a heart murmur properly.
If you need help with this issue or have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Maven’s vet team. We’re here to clear all of your doubts!
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