Prevalence of mitral valve regurgitation in 102 apparently healthy Dachshunds.

Echocardiographic MR is common in Dachshunds without audible murmurs, increasing with age.

This prospective observational study evaluated 102 apparently healthy Dachshunds recruited through the Swedish Dachshund Club to determine the prevalence of mitral regurgitation (MR) and related valvular pathology using echocardiography. Echocardiographically detected MR was present in 63% of dogs, mitral valve thickening in 45%, and mitral valve prolapse in 11%. Only 5% of dogs had an audible systolic murmur over the mitral area. Tricuspid valve regurgitation occurred in 39% of dogs with thickening in 17%. A significant age-related difference was found, with dogs having MR showing a median age of 5 years compared to 2.5 years in MR-negative dogs (P<0.0001). The probability of MR presence reached 50% by 2.8 years of age. The study demonstrates that echocardiographic MR is highly prevalent in this breed but does not necessarily correlate with detectable cardiac murmurs. While MR prevalence increases with age, it remains common in younger dogs under five years, suggesting early disease development in Dachshunds. Histological examination would be necessary to confirm whether detected MR represents early myxomatous mitral valve disease.

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