Four case reports: Effects of fucoidan and fucoxanthin on the treatment of degenerative heart valve disease in dogs

Abstract

Degenerative heart valve disease (DHVD) is the most common heart disease in dogs, especially in small breed dogs weighing less than 20 kg. The incidence in dogs over 13 years old is as high as 85%, and more than 75% of these dogs have mitral valve problems. The valve, which includes the valve leaflet, chordae, and annulus, is mutinously degenerated due to the accumulation of abnormal collagen tissue and glycosaminoglycan, and nodules are formed at the edge of the valve as the disease progresses, eventually resulting in valve insufficiency. To improve the regular treatment of DHVD, especially medication, the natural supplements fucoidan and fucoxanthin were used in this case report. Four small-breed dogs were diagnosed with heart valve disease in the Yukang Veterinary Hospital, and the veterinarian used fucoidan and fucoxanthin as nutritional supplements for the adjuvant treatment of heart valve disease. In the first three cases, it was found that the cardiac function index, including the LA/Ao ratio, significantly improved after 3 to 6 months of continuous administration. Additionally, in the case of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) heart grading below Stage B2 after treatment, valve hypertrophy improved, thinned, and flattened, which either reduced the reflux condition caused by valve insufficiency or restored the complete valve closure function. However, in Case 4, the cardiac function index was not improved after 3 to 6 months of continuous administration without the supplement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented clinical study showing that fucoidan and fucoxanthin can improve DHVD in different kinds of dogs.