There Is New Hope for Dogs With MVD

If you've read Darcy's Daily you'd be forgiven for thinking there is no long-term hope for dogs with MVD. And that used to be the case. However there are now much better treatment options, with much more experience with pimobenden (Vetmedin®) and recommendations from the EPIC study, as well as an actual proven mitral valve repair procedure. One of Darcy's successor family members, Harper, underwent MV repair surgery in May 2017 and just celebrated her third anniversary. She's medication free with a normal-size heart and very little regurgitation. The down side? The surgery is expensive, and it's not yet available in the U.S. It is available in Japan at the JASMINE Clinic in Yokohama where Dr. Uechi, the creator of the procedure, has been perfecting the surgery since 2006. For a few years (around 2016 to 2018) Dr. Uechi and his staff traveled to France every two months to work with Drs. Bozon at a veterinary clinic in Versailles to offer the surgery at a location that didn't require a minimum seven-month quarantine. Since 2018 Dr Uechi has only offered the surgery in Japan, but plans are under way for him to travel to the University of Florida and work with Dr. Simon Swift and his team to provide the surgery within the U.S. For more info on MVD treatment and MV repair, as well to join a knowledgeable and caring community of people whose dogs have MVD, visit http://www.mightyheartsproject.org.