Self-Reported Utilization of International Guidelines for Staging Dogs with Myxomatous Mitral Valve Degeneration: A Survey among Veterinary Practitioners

BACKGROUND: ACVIM developed and published guidelines for staging myxomatous mitral valve degeneration in dogs in 2009. An updated version was published in 2019. The present study aimed to investigate whether these guidelines are actually used by the intended public more than a decade after their first publication.

METHODS: An online survey was distributed among Dutch and Belgian veterinarians through online channels and mailing lists.

RESULTS: Of the 524 responses, only 363 complete surveys were analyzed. The ACVIM guidelines are used by 60% of the respondents. Veterinarians find it more difficult to differentiate stage B1 from B2 in asymptomatic dogs compared to diagnosing stage C. Three-quarters of the respondents would recommend echocardiography for an incidentally detected new murmur with an intensity of 3 out of 6 in an adult dog. Two-thirds of the respondents find coughing a convincing finding for stage C disease. Close to half of the respondents associate a horizontal, dull percussion line with pulmonary edema. For confirming cardiogenic pulmonary edema, 98% of the respondents used thoracic radiographs.

CONCLUSIONS: Veterinary practitioners might not have the expected training and equipment to be able to apply the guidelines in their practices, especially in the differentiation of stage B1 from stage B2.