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Degenerative (myxomatous) mitral valve disease* is a common cause of congestive heart failure in dogs, especially small, older dogs. [48] The leaflets of the valve become thickened and nodular, leading to mitral valve regurgitation and volume overload of the left side of the heart.
Pimobendan is indicated for the management of the signs of mild, moderate, or severe congestive heart failure in dogs due to clinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM); [1] [7] and for use with concurrent therapy for congestive heart failure (e.g.,furosemide, etc.) as appropriate on a case-by-case basis. [1]
Mitral regurgitation, also known as mitral insufficiency or mitral incompetence, is the backward flow of blood from the left ventricle, through the mitral valve, and into the left atrium, when the left ventricle contracts, resulting in a systolic murmur radiating to the left armpit.
The disease and symptoms are similar to progression of acquired valve disease in older dogs. Valve leakage leads to heart enlargement, arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure. Heart valve dysplasia can be tolerated for years or progress to heart failure in the first year of life. Diagnosis is with an echocardiogram.
Valve surgery: If an enlarged heart is caused by a problem with a heart valve, surgery can remove the valve and replace it with either an artificial valve or a tissue valve from a pig, cow or deceased human donor. If blood leaks backward through a valve (valve regurgitation), the leaky valve may be surgically repaired or replaced.
The anterior mitral valve moves anteriorly during systole in these patients leading to dynamic LVOTO, and the increased mass of the septum leads to a physical narrowing for blood to pass through. Thus, both of these contribute to the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction seen in some cases of this disease.
The posterior leaflet is in continuation with the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve (the tissue is called the aorto-mitral curtain). [4] The aortic valve is opened during systole, the driving force for it to open is the difference in pressure between the contracting left ventricle of the heart and the aorta.
While heart disease is common in dogs generally – one in 10 of all dogs will eventually have heart problems – mitral valve disease is generally (as in humans) a disease of old age. The "hinge" on the heart's mitral valve loosens and can gradually deteriorate, along with the valve's flaps, causing a heart murmur (as blood seeps through the ...