Quality of Life Score as a Predictor of Death in Dogs with Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease

The knowledge of the variables predicting mortality is important in clinical practice and for therapeutic monitoring in mitral valve disease.

To determine whether a quality of life score evaluated with the Functional Evaluation of Cardiac Health questionnaire would predict mortality in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD).

Thirty-six client-owned dogs with mitral valve disease underwent clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic evaluations at baseline and were monitored for 6 months. Cardiovascular death was the primary outcome.

The 36 dogs were classified as survivors or nonsurvivors. Higher values of the following variables were obtained at baseline in the nonsurviving group (12 dogs): amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, plasma norepinephrine, heart rate, quality of life score, diastolic left ventricular internal dimension to aortic root ratio, systolic left ventricular internal dimension to aortic root ratio, and left atrium to aortic root ratio. NT-proBNP levels and quality life score were independently associated with death in the multivariable analysis.

The quality life score was an independent variable for cardiac death in dogs with DMVD. This result is encouraging, as this score is easy to apply and does not require any technology, only a veterinarian and an observant owner.