Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Two Chihuahuas with heart failure improved without surgery
By Wesselowski, S·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2023·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Resolution of congestive heart failure and reverse remodeling in two Chihuahuas with flail mitral valve leaflets.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two male Chihuahuas were diagnosed with congestive heart failure caused by a problem with their heart valves, specifically flail mitral valve leaflets. After receiving treatment, including a diuretic called furosemide to help manage fluid buildup, both dogs showed significant improvement. Over time, their heart conditions improved enough that the vet was able to stop the furosemide, indicating that their hearts were functioning better without needing surgery. This shows that some heart issues can improve on their own with proper care.
People also search for: Chihuahua heart failure treatment · flail mitral valve in dogs · congestive heart failure symptoms in dogs
Abstract
Development of a flail mitral valve (MV) leaflet secondary to ruptured chordae tendineae in the setting of myxomatous mitral valve disease is a known complication of the disease that often results in severe mitral regurgitation. Two cases are presented in which a flail anterior MV leaflet caused severe mitral regurgitation and led to the development of congestive heart failure in male castrated Chihuahuas. Over variable periods of time, repeat cardiac evaluation disclosed reverse left-sided cardiac remodeling and lessened mitral regurgitation that allowed for withdrawal of furosemide in both dogs. While rare, improvement in mitral regurgitation severity may occur without surgical intervention, allowing for reverse left-sided cardiac remodeling and discontinuation of furosemide.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37245348/