Mitral valve disease (MMVD) is a chronic degenerative disease of the heart valves. It is the most common heart disease in dogs and mainly affects older dogs of smaller breeds. An exception is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which often develops the disease at the age of 1.5 to two years.
The exact causes of the tissue changes are unknown. However, scientific studies now suggest that it is essentially a hereditary condition that is influenced by other factors (environment, diet).
There are four heart valves in the heart. The pocket valves are located between the ventricle and the outflow vessel, and the sail valves are located between the atrium and the ventricle. The valves act as valves and prevent blood from flowing back in the wrong direction.
The mitral valve is an aortic valve and is located between the left atrium and the left ventricle. It prevents blood from flowing back into the atrium during the contraction phase. In the case of MMVD, there is a non-inflammatory change in the tissue structure of the valves. They thicken and the valve edges can curl inwards, so that the valve can no longer close completely and thus becomes leaky. This leads to an increasing backflow of blood into the left atrium.
This results in progressive enlargement of the left atrium and left ventricle. The extra work that the heart muscle has to do can be compensated for by the heart itself over a long period of time, so that the patient does not experience any clinical symptoms. However, when this is no longer possible, blood backs up into the lungs, gradually causing pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs).
The disease is classified into different stages based on the extent of valve leakage and subsequent heart enlargement.
The classification is based on the CHIEF classification (=Canine Heart Failure International Expert Forum). This expert committee has published a uniform classification of heart disease in dogs.
The diseases are divided into the following four stages:
A = increased risk of heart disease (genetic predisposition, previous illness)
B = heart disease without symptoms
B1 = without heart enlargement
B2 = with heart enlargement
C = heart disease with previous or existing symptoms
C1=stable heart failure with previous symptoms (treated)
C2=Heart failure with mild to moderate symptoms
C3 = heart failure with severe, life-threatening symptoms
D = heart failure that no longer responds to medication, measures only life-sustaining
The disease develops gradually and can remain symptom-free for many years. Dogs with MMVD in stage B1 show no heart enlargement and no symptoms whatsoever, so the disease is usually only discovered by chance during routine veterinary examinations. The veterinarian will notice an abnormal heart sound caused by the backflow at the diseased valve.
In stage B2, the heart has already enlarged due to the increasing backflow of blood and there is a much greater risk that the disease will progress more rapidly, even if the animal still shows no symptoms.
In the more advanced stage C, clear signs of disease are noticeable. The backflow of blood into the lungs and the resulting accumulation of fluid (pulmonary edema) in the lungs causes coughing and breathing problems. The poor heart function can also lead to weakness, fainting spells, and weight loss.
If respiratory symptoms continue to worsen, heart disease should always be considered and the animal should be taken to a veterinarian immediately.
IMPORTANT: Acute respiratory distress or recurring fainting spells are always an acute emergency that requires veterinary treatment as soon as possible!
Since the symptoms are not characteristic and can also occur in many other diseases, it is very important that your dog is thoroughly examined by a veterinarian. In addition to the clinical examination, your preliminary report is also very important for the veterinarian, as it provides valuable information about the onset, occurrence, and severity of the symptoms.
The general examination is followed by a special examination of the heart. First, the heart is listened to (auscultation) and palpated. In most cases, an initial diagnosis can be made based on the audible heart sounds. However, to confirm the diagnosis, an ultrasound examination of the heart is essential, as this allows the backflow of blood to be accurately visualized and measured. In addition, X-rays, ECG (electrocardiogram), and blood pressure tests can confirm and further specify the diagnosis.
Since the changes to the valves are irreversible, treatment is limited to slowing the progression of the disease and alleviating the symptoms. It is important to note that the appropriate medication must therefore be administered for life.
Veterinarians now have a variety of heart medications available to treat MMVD, which they can use depending on the type and severity of the disease. These include diuretics and heart-strengthening drugs. With the help of these medications, dogs in stages B and C can be helped so effectively that they can continue to live a virtually symptom-free life.
Your vet will draw up a detailed treatment plan for your individual case and can send the medication for your dog digitally to petsXL , so that you can find all upcoming medication doses in your timeline and set reminders for yourself.
The medication should be accompanied by an appropriate low-sodium diet. The affected animal should continue to get regular gentle exercise, but extreme physical exertion and forced exercise (jogging, cycling) must be avoided. You can easily check your dog's breathing rate yourself by counting each rise and fall of the chest while they are sleeping. The breathing rate at rest should not exceed 30 breaths per minute.
Schedule regular check-ups with your veterinarian for your heart patient. This will allow the veterinarian to monitor the progression of the disease and the success of the treatment.
The prognosis depends greatly on the severity and stage of the disease. Many dogs can compensate for MMVD well with medication throughout their lives, while others quickly become decompensated, meaning that the body is no longer able to compensate for the strain, which significantly worsens the prognosis despite treatment.
Since it is largely a hereditary condition, it is difficult to prevent the disease. However, breeding measures can help reduce the spread of the disease. Many breeding associations require heart ultrasound examinations in order to obtain a breeding license. Regular veterinary check-ups of the heart, including an ultrasound examination, should be carried out, especially in predisposed breeds, in order to detect and treat potential changes at an early stage.
As in many other sports, doping plays an important role in equestrian sports when it comes to competitions and performance comparisons. Unlike in athletics, however, it is not the human being who tries to enhance their own performance by taking certain substances, but the animal whose performance is to be enhanced by administering these substances. Since the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the issue of doping in equestrian sports has also come into the public spotlight due to numerous proven cases of doping, which has resulted in considerable damage to the image of equestrian sports.
Rabbit plague, or myxomatosis in medical terms, is a dangerous viral infection of domestic and wild rabbits that is widespread throughout Central Europe. The disease is highly contagious and can take on epidemic proportions in unprotected populations. An effective vaccine is available as a preventive measure. Hares, on the other hand, are virtually immune to the pathogen.
The horse's mouth is a sensitive area. Healthy teeth are important not only for eating, but also for riding with a bridle and bit. Many instances of head shaking or restlessness under the saddle can originate in the horse's mouth.
Just like humans and dogs, more and more cats are developing the metabolic disease diabetes. However, diabetes in cats differs from that in dogs and humans in a number of key ways. Middle-aged neutered male cats are particularly affected. Maine Coon and Siamese cats are more susceptible to diabetes.
Horses are flight animals. If something frightens them, they will run away faster than some owners can even blink. There are many possible triggers: a large green tractor while out riding, posters in an indoor riding arena, or children playing in the yard. However, with the right exercises, you can help your horse become more calm over time.
Rotz, often referred to as skin rot or skin worm, is one of the longest known diseases affecting horses. It is a bacterial, epidemic infectious disease characterized by purulent skin and mucous membrane ulcers and a mostly chronic course. While the disease is still widespread in Asia, Africa, and South America, it has been considered eradicated in Germany since 1956, although it was detected in a horse for the first time again in 2015. Due to the danger it poses to humans, the disease is still notifiable.
Your cat is sure to appreciate a change of scenery now and then, especially if it lives indoors all the time. Of course, it's not just indoor cats that like to play with their humans—outdoor cats enjoy it too.
Are you also fascinated by the beauty, intelligence, and strength of character of these cheerful, playful companions? Wonderful! Then we have some tips for you.
Since the liver has a very high regenerative capacity and functional reserve capacity, most liver diseases in horses initially progress without visible signs of disease and are only diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Kissing spines is a condition that causes the vertebrae to grow into each other. It is a change in the horse's spine. This results in a significant narrowing of the spaces between the vertebrae in the thoracic and lumbar spine, often in the saddle area. The diagnosis requires riders and owners to be vigilant and provide the right training.
Kidney disease is relatively rare in horses, but its symptoms are often nonspecific and therefore not always immediately recognized, meaning that treatment is often delayed. In many cases, kidney disease is a concomitant or secondary condition of other diseases.
This disease, often mistakenly referred to as feline leukemia, is caused by the feline leukemia virus. However, since the virus causes many other serious symptoms in addition to malignant tumors of the lymphatic tissue, the name is somewhat misleading
