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CANINE CARDIAC MITRAL VALVE DISEASE

This is the most common cause of heart failure in smaller dog breeds.

Breeds

Some breeds are more prone to leaking valve disease.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) is one of the most common breeds to have cardiac valve disease. A very high percentage of older CKCS have murmurs. Not all of these cases go into heart failure.

Pathology

The heart has 4 chambers- 2 atria (small) and 2 ventricles (large). The atria sit above the ventricles and connect to each other through valves called atrio-ventricular (A-V) valves.

The ventricles pump blood around the body:

• The left ventricle pumps oxygen-rich blood all around the body, so it it is very strong and has thick walls made up of cardiac muscle.
• The right ventricle pumps oxygen poor blood to the lungs which are "just next door", so they are not as big or strong as the left ventricle.

The left A-V valve is also called the Mitral valve.