Review outlines anaesthetic risk framework for dogs with MMVD

A new narrative review in the Journal of Small Animal Practice examines how veterinarians can approach pre-anaesthetic risk assessment and peri-anaesthetic management in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease, the most common heart disease in dogs. The authors, Levinzon, Köster, and Vettorato, argue that common tools like the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score are useful but too subjective on their own for dogs with preclinical or clinical MMVD, and they outline a more practical, stage-based “spectrum of care” approach that ties anaesthetic planning to disease severity, hemodynamics, current cardiac medications, and procedure urgency. That framing aligns with established ACVIM staging guidance, which separates asymptomatic stage B patients from dogs with current or prior congestive heart failure in stages C and D. (academic.oup.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the review pulls together a problem that shows up in everyday practice: dogs with MMVD still need dentals, mass removals, imaging, and other procedures under sedation or general anaesthesia. Prior expert guidance has emphasized that early-stage B1 dogs often tolerate anaesthesia well, while dogs with more advanced disease need tighter heart rate control, conservative fluid therapy, avoidance of increased afterload, and, in severe heart failure, postponement of elective procedures until the patient is stabilized. The review appears to formalize that graduated decision-making into a single clinical framework, which could help general practitioners, cardiologists, and anaesthesia teams communicate risk more consistently with pet parents. (cliniciansbrief.com)

What to watch: Expect clinicians to look for whether this review changes local pre-anaesthetic workups, especially around when to escalate to echocardiography, referral, or more advanced monitoring in stage B2 through D patients. (academic.oup.com)