Mighty Hearts Project

07/28/2026

UF Mitral Valve Repair Program Update:

Hello Mighty Hearts,

The University of Florida Small Animal Hospital has announced an update to its canine mitral valve repair program.

Open-Heart Surgery Program Update

We are pleased to share an update regarding our Open-Heart Surgery Program. Beginning in October 2026, Dr.

Katsuhiro Matsuura will be reducing his clinical time at UF to expand his efforts in providing mitral valve repair surgery and training opportunities elsewhere. We are deeply grateful for Dr. Matsuura's leadership in developing UF's Open-Heart Surgery Program and for his continued commitment to advancing access to this specialized procedure.

To ensure continuity and continued growth of the program at UF, we are excited to welcome Dr. Brian Sutherland to the UF faculty in August 2026. Dr. Sutherland is a board-certified veterinary surgeon who completed an open-heart surgery fellowship at Colorado State University in 2018.

The overlap between Drs. Matsuura and Sutherland will provide a planned transition period during which they will work closely together to maintain the highest standards of patient care and surgical excellence, continuing to work closely with our in-house perfusionists, cardiology team, anesthesia team, and critical care team.

We look forward to this next chapter in the evolution of UF's Open-Heart Surgery Program and remain committed to providing advanced surgical options for dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Please see their website or contact them for more details regarding your concerns or if you planned on going there for surgery. 

Open-Heart Surgery Program Update We are pleased to share an update regarding our Open-Heart Surgery Program. Beginning in October 2026, Dr. Katsuhiro Matsuura will be reducing his clinical time at UF to expand his efforts in providing mitral valve repair surgery and training opportunities elsewher....

07/04/2026

🇺🇸🎆

Happy 4th of July, everyone! 🇺🇸 We hope you have a safe, joyful holiday surrounded by the people—and pups—you love. We’d love to see your photos from today’s celebrations, so please share them in the comments!

This Independence Day carries a little extra significance as we celebrate 250 years since a small group of colonists dared to imagine something new and had the courage to put those ideals into writing. While much has changed over the years, the spirit of gratitude, community, and freedom continues to bring us together.

Wherever you’re celebrating this weekend—whether in your backyard, at the beach, or along a parade route—we hope your day is filled with laughter, great food, cherished memories, and your precious pups. We’re grateful for this wonderful community and wish you all a happy and safe Fourth of July!

07/02/2026

Hey Everybody,

We wanted to introduce you to Dr. Masashi Mizuno. For those of you who have been on the page for a long time, you probably already know him.

Dr. Masashi Mizuno joined JASMINE in 2014 and is a Diplomate of the Asian College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (AiCVIM) in Cardiology. He has been independently performing mitral valve repair surgery since May 2021 and has extensive experience in the surgical and perioperative management of dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Dr. Mizuno has been part of the open heart surgery team since 2007 when Dr. Masami Uechi was a professor at Nihon University. Dr. Mizuno has developed much experience over the years as he has held many roles, such as an anesthesiologist and perfusionist.

Michelle and I had many conversations with him during our Seattle conference late last year and we found him to be very humble, kind, and extremely knowledgeable in his craft. Over the years, I have personally attended US conferences with him and the Jasmine team where we have gotten to know each other well.

In an effort to be fully transparent we wanted to inform you that the Jasmine clinic has started offering Dr. Mizuno on emergency repair cases when Dr. Uechi was not available due to being booked for surgeries. This option was given for those pups that were running out of time and needed surgery as soon as possible.  We understand some of you have already had successful surgeries with Dr. Mizuno. 

Dr. Mizuno has worked side-by-side with Dr. Uechi over the years and serves as the local surgeon to the surrounding countries and also Japanese patients, while Dr. Uechi serves as the international surgeon.

Dr. Mizuno treats MVD starting at B2 for the Japanese community at the Jasmine Clinic.

We wanted to let you know that he is an option, should Dr. Uechi not be available. An excellent option.

Nate and Michelle

Mighty Hearts Project

05/10/2026

From Pizza’s mom,

Pizza had a successful surgery with the team from Jasmine clinic. Today is Day 3 and she’s stable and eating well. Thank you everyone for your best wishes, advice and positive vibes. It truly mean a lot to me ❤️

02/26/2026

Yesterday we interviewed Cardiologist Dr. Emily Chapel who is the founder of Pure Animal Cardiology. Dr. Chapel was my Zoey’s cardiologist and has helped many of you here.

Her clinic is amazing, you are allowed to go in with your dog to assist in the echocardiogram process. This provides a calmer environment for you and your dog.

In this interview we discussed the following topics,

How here clinic works and why owner involvement matters

Understanding canine mitral valve disease: the big picture

ACVIM stages explained: A through D

B1: When not to start medical therapy
B2: Starting pimobendan and the rationale
Ruptured chordae tendineae: recognition and implications
Entresto, what it is and how it fits in, ways to get it at a cheaper price
Stage C and D: heart failure, diuretics, and balancing the kidneys
When to consider surgery, and practical preparation
Practical tips for owners: lifestyle, supplements, and travel
Monitoring the condition, mobile cardiology, and building a relationship with your cardiologist
Communication and clinical judgment

She will be doing more of these educational interviews in the near future so please feel free to add more things you would like her to discuss in the comment section.

It’s also on our website, broken down really well thanks Boris Sapozhnikov

https://mightyheartsproject.org/event/interview-with-dr-emily-chapel-founder-of-pure-animal-cardiology/

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Emily Chapel, founder and head cardiologist at Pure Animal Cardiology.We discussed the various stages of Canine...

02/25/2026

We love your surgery anniversary updates, Posie’s mom says

One Year Surgery Anniversary!

Hey guys, just a short post to celebrate Posie’s one year post-op after MVR surgery at Jasmine Clinic in Japan one year ago!

As many of you recall, it was a difficult surgery and recovery in our case with many ups and downs…but I am happy to report that Posie is absolutely thriving today!

We have her IBD issues well-controlled and her heart has been beautifully stable ever since discharge a year ago. She continues to take Vetmedin twice per day to support remodeling, but regurgitation remains very mild and this is key!

She has her next round of cardio tests in a few months to prepare for a dental under anesthesia, but for now, we are just giving thanks for every stress-free day of life this surgery has given us. Thank you forever to Dr. Sayaka Takeuchi, Dr. Masami Uechi, their amazing team, and of course Mighty Hearts Project!

We never would have made it this far without you, especially Michelle Lawson-Fairfield and Nate Estes.

For those struggling with this disease, THERE IS HOPE. We are all here for you.

02/05/2026

Thought I would share this update I got today from Maddox’s dad Joe Kocovsky. Maddox’s heart is still doing great at 16 years, 7 months old, no heart changes since surgery at the Jasmine clinic in 2017, that’s eight years and four months ago.

Poor baby did have 17 teeth removed today though. She did well and is recovering comfortably at home. Maddox, you’re an inspiration and give so much hope for those waiting for repair surgery under bypass.

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us at Mighty Hearts Project 🎄🎁🐶

12/13/2025

Hello Mighy Hearts Family,

We are very excited and pleased to announce the launch of our new updated website. It’s an educational website designed to assist owners of dogs with canine mitral valve disease. This portal provides clear, compassionate guidance, educational resources, and general information to help you better understand your dog’s condition and care options.

For details about the programs, including success rates, booking appointments, or learning more about available treatments, please contact the hospitals or clinics directly where the programs are offered. While the website offers helpful information, it does not replace veterinary care or direct program guidance.

We hope this resource empowers you with knowledge and support as you navigate your dog’s heart health journey.

Most noteworthy, we have added a University of Florida section after attending the ACVS conference in Seattle in October. We spoke directly with the heart surgeons and gained much more clarity about their program.

Thank you.

We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude for
Boris Sapozhnikov, for helping us design and implement this beautiful new educational website. We look forward to the continued projects you are helping us with in order to create a better navigational experience for our families to easily find the information they need to help their animals.

Mighty Hearts Project earned the 2025 Gold Seal of Transparency from Candid showcasing its dedication to openness in mission and impact. We believe that every

11/23/2025

Hey Everyone,

Michelle Lawson-Fairfield and I are excited to report out all the great information from the ACVS Surgery Summit we attended in October. Here is a video where we summarize our experience and what was discussed by the heart doctors attending the conference.

Michelle and I attended the 2025 ACVS conference in Seattle this year where all of the Mitral Valve Repair bypass doctors got together to discuss their progr...