Background: There are few studies evaluating the natural history and prognostic variables in chronic mitral valve disease (CMVI) in a heterogeneous population of dogs.Objectives: To estimate survival and prognostic value of clinical and echocardiographic variables in dogs with CMVI of varying severity. Five hundred and fifty-eight dogs belonging to 36 breeds were studied.Methods: Dogs were included after clinical examination and echocardiography. Long-term outcome was assessed by telephone interview with the owner.Results: The mean follow-up time was 22.7 AE 13.6 months, and the median survival time was 19.5 AE 13.2 months. In univariate analysis, age48 years, syncope, HR4140 bpm, dyspnea, arrhythmias, class of heart failure (International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council), furosemide therapy, end-systolic volume-index (ESV-I)430 mL/m 2 , left atrial to aortic root ratio (LA/Ao)41.7, E wave transmitral peak velocity (Emax)41.2 m/s, and bilateral mitral valve leaflet engagement were associated with survival time when all causes of death were included. For the cardiac-related deaths, all the previous variables except dyspnea and EDV-I4100 mL/m 2 were significantly associated with survival time. Significant variables in multivariate analysis (all causes of death) were syncope, LA/Ao41.7 m/s, and Emax41.2 m/s. For cardiac-related death, the only significant variable was LA/Ao41.7.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Mild CMVI is a relatively benign condition in dogs. However, some clinical variables can identify dogs at a higher risk of death; these variables might be useful to identify individuals that need more frequent monitoring or therapeutic intervention.

Background: Preclinical myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD) includes a heterogeneous group of dogs. Therefore, identifying risk factors for progression of the disease is of clinical importance.Objectives: To investigate survival time and risk factors for clinical and echocardiographic variables taken at initial examination for clinical progression in preclinical MMVD dogs.Animals: A total of 256 dogs with stage B1 or B2 MMVD. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 256 dogs with preclinical MMVD were reviewed retrospectively. Long-term outcome was assessed by telephone interview. Dogs alive at the time of phone interview were asked to return to the hospital for re-evaluation of their cardiac status.Results: Seventy of 256 (27.3%) dogs died during the observation period. The median survival time, regardless of cause of death, was 588 (range 75-1,668) days. The presence of a murmur was associated with an increased risk of death (AHR 2.14; 95% CI 1.12, 4.11; P = 0.022). Thirty (12%) deaths were considered cardiac related. LA/Ao > 1.4 was the only negative predictor (AHR 2.64; 1.13, 6.13; P = 0.024) for cardiac-related deaths. Eighty-three dogs were reexamined, of which 34 progressed to a more advanced stage of MMVD. The presence of Emax > 1.2 (AHR 2.75; 95% CI 1.01, 7.48; P = 0.047) and cough (AHR 7.89; 95% CI 3.18, 20.07; P < 0.001) were significant in the multivariate analysis.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Preclinical MMVD represents a relatively benign condition in dogs. Clinicians might find stratification of this dog population according to risk factors based on clinical and echocardiographic findings helpful in determining treatment.

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Glomerular lesions that develop in dogs during infection with Leishmania organisms can be classified histologically as mesangial glomerulonephritis, membranous glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and focal segmental glomerulonephritis. Tubulointerstitial histopathologic conditions were not observed as the primary lesion, despite being evident in 23 of 41 (55%) dogs. Use of SDS-AGE for qualitative evaluation of proteinuria and successive collection of specimens during renal biopsies following diagnosis of nonselective glomerular proteinuria provides the possibility for early identification of renal lesions.