cardiovascular disease in small animal s

Initially, cardiac homeostatic mechanisms compensate for the decrease in cardiac output that results from the mitral regurgitation (MR) by increasing heart rate and augmenting cardiac contractility to maintain arterial blood pressure. Prior to the onset of CHF many dogs will not exhibit any clinical signs easily noticed by the owner 6. Unless valve surgery becomes commonplace in veterinary medicine, mitral valve disease in dogs is likely to remain a medically managed disease requiring regular veterinary consultations, treatment with multiple medications, and ultimately clinical deterioration refractory to further medication. In human medicine mitral valve disease is managed surgically, with excellent outcomes for patients 5. Identifying those animals that will deteriorate is very difficult, and those individuals that do develop failure have relatively short survival times of less than one year. A detailed discussion of the many theories is beyond the scope of this article, and the answer is likely to be multifactorial.Īlthough the majority of dogs with MVD never develop clinical signs, about 30 per cent of affected dogs will develop congestive heart failure (CHF) 4. Genetic factors have been shown to play a large role in the aetiology in cavalier King Charles spaniels and dachshunds 4.Īn understanding of these mechanisms is key to the development of medications in the future that might treat the actual valve lesions. The definitive underlying cause of the classic valvular contraction, thickening and progressive valvular insufficiency is still unknown, though many theories have been put forward. The incidence of disease increases with age, affecting approximately 20 to 25 per cent of all dogs between the ages of nine and 12 years 3. According to some previous estimates from the USA, 11 per cent of dogs have heart disease 1, and 75 per cent of these cases are thought to be due to mitral valve disease (MVD) 2.

Heart disease in dogs is a very common problem in general practice in the UK. Long-term management of congestive heart failure due to mitral valve disease Show all articles Long-term management of congestive heart failure due to mitral valve disease Andrew Francis BVSc, CertVC, MRCVS.

Cardiovascular disease in small animal s