That was a great post, Lamont. Very informative. Myra
>From: Lamont Yoder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel List ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: [CKCS-L] MVD Question >Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2002 22:36:39 -0400 > >"I've re-read the information I have on MVD, and unless I misunderstood it, >it states that the dog should be put on medication (enepril?), even w/o >symptoms." > > Kris, > You are in the same boat that many Cavalier owners are because when >you >want to argue starting ace inhibitors (i.e. enalapril) for afterload >reduction prior to symptoms, there are studies that support this and >studies >that support waiting until symptoms appear. It makes the decision very >difficult when different research negates the others and the opinion of >your >vet or cardiologist frequently depends on what research he is emotionally >connected to or was involved with conducting in the past. Certainly for a >grade 1 or 2 murmur that is asymptomatic, I agree with Carol and I'm not >aware of any research that supports starting them at that low grade. There >are enough side effects of ace inhibitors, one being renal insufficiency >over long period usage that it doesn't really support starting a dog with >such a low grade murmur. Now if you had a grade 4 murmur, it makes the >decision a little more grey, but at the same time there is no way to >guarantee that the rate of progression will be rapid and could be delayed >with ace inhibitors. This is why it is so important to look at not only >the >age of onset of a murmur but also the rate of progression - look at the >ancestors and see: Did they stay at grade 1 for 10 years and progress over >their last year? Did they go from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 very slowly and once >they hit 4 progressed to end stage failure in a year? > >This again certainly doesn't guarantee anything, but it helps you guess >what >might happen. Someone I knew very well years ago had imported a bitch that >didn't get a murmur until she was 7 1/2 years old, but she was dead from >heart failure before she was 8. Meanwhile, Char neutered her old boy Basil >when he was 2 1/2 because he had a murmur and it progressed to a 4 when we >had to put him down for arthritis and his inability to move around 3 months >shy of 17. There are just no guarantees are there? > >best of luck, >Lamont Yoder >Sunbury, Ohio > >========================================================= >"Magic Commands": >to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL >to start it up gain click here: >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. >Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > >All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author. Myra Savant Gardengate Cavaliers _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
