Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs Attending UK Practices
People: Maddy Mattin, Adrian Boswood, David Church, David Brodbelt
Aims: To document the prevalence of degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD), evaluate the survival characteristics of dogs with DMVD at various stages of disease progression and to determine the prognostic value of clinical measurements and biomarker blood tests in the primary care setting.
Relevance of project: The outcomes of this project will be of direct relevance to general veterinary practice because the research is being conducted on patients with a common disease presenting to and managed by first-opinion practitioners. Through longitudinal study of the disease, we will improve our understanding of the progression of DMVD and the predictive value of key clinical measurements and cardiac biomarker blood tests. The aim is to evaluate the combination of simple measurements taken from dogs with DMVD, the results of which will allow us to identify those animals at greatest risk of death within 1-2 years.
What’s involved? Dogs were recruited from primary-care practices across the UK and clinical measurements and a blood sample were taken to measure the levels of the cardiac biomarkers (NT-proBNP and cardiac troponin I). The clinical progress of these dogs will be followed over time via their clinical records. Recruitment to this study has now closed. We would like to thank all of the veterinary staff, pet owners and dogs who have taken part in this research. The final results of the study are expected at a later date.
Date: May 2013- April 2017
Funding body: PetPlan Charitable Trust 
For further information, please contact Dave Brodbelt or Maddy Mattin at the RVC:
Email:
Tel: 0775 950 4135 / 0775 775 0492
Newsletters
Vetcompass DMVD study update, Autumn 2015
VetCompass DMVD study update, Winter 2014
VetCompass DMVD study update, Spring 2014
Enrolment
Many thanks to all the veterinary practices and dogs owners who have participated in our study. We are extremely grateful for your on-going support.
| Dogs enrolled to the study per month | New practices contributing samples | |
| December 2013 | 2 | 2 |
| January 2014 | 8 | 2 |
| February 2014 | 25 | 6 |
| March 2014 | 55 | 16 |
| April 2014 | 56 | 9 |
| May 2014 | 60 | 5 |
| June 2014 | 68 | 7 |
| July 2014 | 65 | 5 |
| August 2014 | 33 | 4 |
| September 2014 | 58 | 4 |
| October 2014 | 60 | 10 |
| November 2014 | 62 | 5 |
| December 2014 | 45 | 1 |
| January 2015 | 40 | 1 |
| February 2015 | 24 | 0 |
| March 2015 | 30 | 0 |
| April 2015 | 18 | 0 |
| May 2015 | 23 | 0 |
| June 2015 | 38 | 0 |
| July 2015 | 25 | 1 |
| August 2015 | 31 | 0 |
| September 2015 | 19 | 1 |
| October 2015 | 13 | 0 |
| November 2015 | 23 | 0 |
| December 2015 | 13 | 0 |
| Final Total | 894 |
79 |
Number of dogs enrolled to DMVD study
Research papers
Degenerative mitral valve disease: Survival of dogs attending primary-care practice in England.
Mattin MJ, Boswood A, Church DB, McGreevy PD, O'Neill DG, Thomson PC, Brodbelt DC.
(May 2015; Epub ahead of print) Preventive Veterinary Medicine
A retrospective cohort study of 405 dogs diagnosed with degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD), and 3557 dogs classified as possible cases (heart murmurs consistent with DMVD)attending primary-care practices in England was undertaken to evaluate survival of dogs with the condition. Cases were identified via electronic patient records (EPRs) of practices sharing data with VetCompass. The study highlights poorer survival for all-cause mortality in Cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCSs) and larger dogs. The reported survival characteristics could aid veterinary surgeons' advice on the prognosis for dogs with DMVD and help the assessment of the impact of the condition at a population level.
Prevalence of and risk factors for degenerative Mitral Valve disease in dogs attending primary-care veterinary practices in England.
Mattin MJ, Boswood A, Church DB, López-Alvarez J, McGreevy PD, O'Neill DG, Thomson PC, Brodbelt DC.
(2015) Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
This study used data from the electronic patient records of 111,967 dogs attending 93 practices to estimate the prevalence of, and identify risk factors for, degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD) in dogs attending primary-care veterinary practices in England. The authors report that DMVD was a common disorder in practice-attending dogs. Male dogs, those under 20kg bodyweight and insured dogs had increased odds of DMVD diagnosis. Strong associations between DMVD diagnosis, individual breeds and age were also identified. Findings from this study can help clinicians to identify high-risk individuals, improve clinical diagnosis of DMVD and direct future research.
Posters
- The epidemiology of degenerative mitral valve disease in dogs attending UK practices, EBVM 2014
- Degenerative mitral valve disease in dogs attending UK practices, SVEPM 2014
Free CPD
Practices participating in the study are entitled to a free 2-hour Webinar lecture. To claim your CPD voucher, please send the following details to mmattin@rvc.ac.uk:
- Practice Name:
- Delegate Title:
- Delegate Name:
- Qualifications:
- Personal email:
- Phone number:
- Recorded Webinar Name:
A list of webinars can be found on the RVC CPD webpage.
Vet Compass Project Type: Dog