Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Murmur loudness shows heart disease severity in small dogs
By Ljungvall, I. et al.·Published in Journal of Small Animal Practice·2014·Department of Clinical Sciences University Animal Hospital, Swedish University of Agricultural Science SE‐750 07 Uppsala Sweden·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Murmur intensity in small‐breed dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease reflects disease severity
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at small-breed dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease, a common heart issue, to see if the loudness of their heart murmur could indicate how severe their condition was. They found that dogs with soft murmurs usually had mild disease and rarely showed signs of congestive heart failure, while those with louder murmurs were more likely to have serious heart problems. This means that if your small dog has a soft heart murmur, it may not be as concerning, but a louder murmur could signal more severe issues. Regular check-ups and monitoring are important to manage their heart health effectively.
People also search for: small dog heart murmur severity · myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs · signs of congestive heart failure in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVESTo determine whether murmur intensity in small‐breed dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease reflects clinical and echocardiographic disease severity.METHODSRetrospective multi‐investigator study. Records of adult dogs Ä20 kg with myxomatous mitral valve disease were examined. Murmur intensity and location were recorded and compared with echocardiographic variables and functional disease status. Murmur intensities in consecutive categories were compared for prevalences of congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and cardiac remodelling.RESULTS578 dogs [107 with “soft” (30 Grade I/VI and 77 II/VI), 161 with “moderate” (Grade III/VI), 160 with “loud” (Grade IV/VI) and 150 with “thrilling” (Grade V/VI or VI/VI) murmurs] were studied. No dogs with soft murmurs had congestive heart failure, and 90% had no remodelling. However, 56% of dogs with “moderate”, 29% of dogs with “loud” and 8% of dogs with “thrilling” murmurs and subclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease also had no remodelling. Probability of a dog having congestive heart failure or pulmonary hypertension increased with increasing murmur intensity.CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCEA 4‐level murmur grading scheme separated clinically meaningful outcomes in small‐breed dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease. Soft murmurs in small‐breed dogs are strongly indicative of subclinical heart disease. Thrilling murmurs are associated with more severe disease. Other murmurs are less informative on an individual basis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12265