| |
| | Mitral Valve Disease and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel |
 | | MVD is a degeneration and fibrosis of the heart's mitral valve, one of four sets of valves in a canine's (and a human's) heart. |
 | | The earliest indication of MVD usually is a soft whistling sound, called a "murmur", which can be heard by a veterinarian using a stethoscope, and which is caused by the turbulent flow of blood jetting backwards through the damaged leaflets of the mitral valve into the left ventricle, increasing pressure in the left atrium. |
 | | Moderate MVD is indicated by a louder murmur, increased breathlessness on occasions, occasional dry, hacking coughing, and moderate to severe enlargement of the heart on x-rays or scan, with some fluid present in the lungs. |
| www.cavalierhealth.com /mitral_valve_disease.htm (6711 words) |
|