RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS OF THE 28th ECVIM-CA CONGRESS

Fifteen indoor dogs (six in the control and nine in the exercise groups) with asymptomatic myxomatous mitral valve disease (ACVIM stage B1) were included. A thorough physical examination, routine blood work‐up, non‐invasive arterial systolic blood pressure measurement, lateral and ventrodorsal thoracic radiography, electrocardiography, and echocardiography were performed to exclude other cardiac and systemic diseases. The owners in the exercise group were instructed by a certified canine rehabilitation therapist on guiding their dogs through the exercise program. The exercise protocol combined aerobic and resistant exercises at the level of low to moderate intensity interval training. The owners in the control group were instructed to maintain their dogs’ usual routine. For all dogs, a five‐point quality of life scale (appetite, demeanor, exercise tolerance, fainting, respiratory effort, cough, and nocturnal dyspnea/coughing), six‐minute walk test, chest radiographic, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic examinations were then assessed every two months for six months. Multiple multivariate models of repeated measures were used for multiple comparisons before and after exercise in the study subjects and between the groups.