C02 - Retrospective Evaluation of Liver Parameters in Canine Degenerative Valvular Disease and Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Abstract: Background – There is a lack of information regarding the association between canine acquired cardiac disease and the hepatic system.



Objective – Evaluate the relationship between hepatic parameters, survival, and disease stages of dogs with either dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or degenerative valvular disease (DVD).



Animals – Ninety-nine client-owned dogs consisting of 16 healthy controls and dogs diagnosed with DVD (N = 61) and DCM (N = 22) in either American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine stage B or C of disease.



Methods – Retrospective study evaluating the association between liver parameters, type and stage of disease, and survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine parameters associated with survival.



Results – Differences in hepatic parameter concentrations between DCM and DVD dogs and disease stages were identified. Alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.001), aspartate aminotransferase (P = 0.02), and total bilirubin (P = 0.005) were significant predictors of mortality in univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, total bilirubin was the only hepatic parameter that was an independent predictor of mortality (P = 0.029).



Conclusions – Differences in hepatic parameters between DCM, DVD, and disease stages are likely due to disease specific hemodynamics and disease progression. These findings suggest that in dogs with DVD and DCM, the interaction between the cardiac and hepatic systems may be relevant for disease progression and outcome, as is reported for humans with cardiac disease. Further studies into the role of hepatic function in canine cardiac disease are required.