dilated cardiomyopathy

before we go any further, there's going to need to be a "what is DCM" kind of post so that all the future phrases, abbreviations, and things i talk about will make sense. sort of a 'whats what'. its your decoder ring!

DCM, or dilated cardiomyopathy is where the bottom half of the heart essentially loses its ability to pump because it stretches out - it simply can't contract enough any longer. for a bit, the heart starts to compensate by stretching out so that the body still gets enough blood - but eventually it just can't handle that - and eventually heart failure will develop, in which fluid backs up in the lungs.

in the *doberman*, this is a genetic disease - it's predicted that 50-70% (depending on what you read and who you talk to) of all dobermans will get this disease. in other breeds, this isn't necessarily a genetic problem - its just an acquired disease of old age. it can also be caused by some drugs/toxins (chemotherapy drugs for instance) or nutritional deficiencies. but nope, dobes get the dumb luck of just being PRONE.

the other aspect of this disease in the doberman is arrhythmias - faulty abnormal heart rhythms. these occur in DCM in the form of VPCs - ventricular premature contractions, where premature heart contractions start from the bottom half of the heart (rather than from the normal location - the sinoatrial node)and BEFORE a normal heart beat would start and , due to abnormal contractility of the heart.

which is why for this breed, screening is SO IMPORTANT - screening an asymptomatic dog, screening before you notice coughing, before you notice weight loss, lethargy, not wanting to eat - because for those dogs, it may be too late. we've come a long way with treatment, but for many dogs with DCM, this WILL be a fatal disease.

screening for this includes both an ultrasound of the heart - called an echocardiogram, as well as a 24 hour ECG (electrocardiogram) - which is called a Holter monitor. the echocardiogram enables the cardiologist to visualize the heart and see the size of the ventricles, and the 24 hour ECG enables them to actually see the rhythm of the heart over the course of the day and see if there are any arrhythmias - you can see how different the info can be. a dog can absolutely have dilation without VPCs, or VPC's without dilation and still have DCM with both!

there are a variety of treatments available - i won't pretend to know which is best because the course of treatment should be determined by your cardiologist.

there is no prevention for DCM - there are studies currently underway at a variety of vet schools and other institutions trying to find a genetic marker for the disease. all we have is testing and telling.

and here we have rah in his holter vest!