Abstract: Background – Myxomatous mitral valve disease remains the most common cause of heart failure in dogs. There has been an increase in demand for mitral valve repair (MVR) surgery in the last few years, however there is still a sparsity of published peer reviewed data in this field.Hypothesis/Objectives – to describe success rates of a new heart surgery programme.Animals – 43 client owned dogs undergoing MVR surgery.Methods – data from client owned dogs who underwent MVR surgery (artificial chordae tendinae placement and an annuloplasty), under cardiopulmonary bypass, were prospectively collected between September 2021 and August 2023. Dogs were considered suitable for surgery if they were in ACVIM stage C or D of disease, informed owner consent was obtained and minimal comorbidities were present. Results – Cavalier King Charles Spaniels were the most common breed (n=10, 24%). Median age was 10 years, (range 6 – 13 years). 72% of dogs were in ACVIM stage C of disease, with 28% in stage D. Surgical survival was 98%, with one dying due to a protamine reaction. Survival to discharge was 81% overall (n=35/43); 75% in 2022 and 91% in 2023. Following discharge, one dog was euthanised 6 weeks post-operatively due to unresponsive IMTP. Conclusions and clinical importance – Survival following MVR surgery was high in this cohort of dogs, though owners need to be carefully counselled on potential risks.
