Background: Amlodipine, a dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker, is currently being investigated as a treatment for myxomatous mitral valvular degeneration (MMVD). However, the effects of amlodipine on moderate or severe spontaneous MMVD, based on changes in echocardiographic indices, remain unclear.
Animals: Client-owned small-breed dogs ( = 24) with naturally occurring MMVD of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) stage B2 or higher.
Methods: Basic dog information including previous medication treatments were recorded. All subjects received amlodipine 0.1 mg/kg, administered per os, twice daily for 7 days, in addition to their existing medication. We measured systolic blood pressure, obtained x-ray, echocardiography, blood test data before and after 1 week of amlodipine administration.
Results: Left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter, left atrial diameter and E wave reduced statistically after 1 week of amlodipine treatment (all < 0.001). No adverse effects were reported.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that low-dose amlodipine should be considered as treatment for dogs with ACVIM stage B2���C MMVD.
