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Asymptomatic heart valve dysfunction in healthy middle-aged companion dogs and its implications for cardiac aging
Silvan R Urfer1,2, Tammi L Kaeberlein1,2, Susan Mailheau2
1Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Insights
Middle-aged dogs may have undiagnosed heart valve disease, similar to humans. Echocardiography detected valvular regurgitation missed by standard exams, suggesting dogs as a model for aging cardiac conditions.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Comparative Medicine
- Aging Research
Background:
- Heart disease is a leading cause of death in humans, with age as a primary risk factor.
- While age is a risk factor in dogs, heart disease is not typically a major cause of canine mortality.
- Degenerative valve disease is common in aging humans, but its prevalence in aging dogs is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of subclinical cardiac abnormalities in middle-aged companion dogs.
- To compare echocardiography findings with standard veterinary auscultation in this cohort.
- To explore the potential of companion dogs as a model for human age-related valvular heart disease.
Main Methods:
- Cardiac screening using Doppler echocardiography was performed on 40 companion dogs (≥6 years old, ≥18 kg) with no prior cardiac history.
- Dogs underwent screening as part of a veterinary clinical trial's preliminary selection.
- Echocardiographic diagnoses were compared with findings from veterinary auscultation and serum alkaline phosphatase levels.
Main Results:
- Eleven of 40 dogs (27.5%) were diagnosed with valvular regurgitation via echocardiography.
- Seven dogs were excluded from the clinical trial due to moderate to severe valvular regurgitation.
- Heart murmurs were detected in only one dog, despite significant valvular disease in others.
- Higher serum alkaline phosphatase levels were observed in dogs with moderate to severe valvular regurgitation.
Conclusions:
- Asymptomatic degenerative valvular disease, detectable by echocardiography but not standard auscultation, may be common in middle-aged dogs.
- This highlights an underappreciated similarity between human and canine aging regarding cardiac health.
- Companion dogs may serve as a valuable model for studying age-related valve disease mechanisms and testing interventions.
Abstract:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA, accounting for about one in every four deaths. Age is the greatest risk factor for heart disease in both people and dogs; however, heart disease is generally not considered as a major cause of morbidity or mortality in dogs. As part of the preliminary selection process for a veterinary clinical trial, 40 companion dogs with no history of cardiac pathology that were at least 6 years old and weighed at least 18 kg underwent a cardiac screening using Doppler echocardiography. Eleven dogs from this cohort were diagnosed with valvular regurgitation by echocardiography, and seven of these cases were of sufficient severity to warrant exclusion from the clinical trial. In only one case was a heart murmur detected by auscultation. Serum alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly higher in the dogs with moderate to severe valvular regurgitation compared to the rest of the cohort. These observations suggest that asymptomatic degenerative valvular disease detectable by echocardiography, but not by a standard veterinary exam including auscultation, may be present in a significant fraction of middle-aged companion dogs, indicating a previously underappreciated similarity between human and canine aging. Further, these data suggest that companion dogs may be a particularly useful animal model for understanding mechanisms of age-related degenerative valve disease and for developing and testing interventions to ameliorate cardiac disease. Future studies should address whether dogs with asymptomatic valve disease are at higher risk for subsequent morbidity or early death.
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