This is for all gentle giants, dashing Danes, and grumpy pinschers.

Owners often tell others about their dog’s “big heart.”

But what if that doesn’t refer to the dog’s lovable personality?

Dr. Sumana Prabhakar, a veterinarian pursuing a specialty in cardiology at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, describes dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which a “big heart” is bad.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) affects the heart muscle, making it unable to contract with enough force to pump blood properly.

This causes the heart to enlarge and further impairs the heart’s ability to contract.

If this negative cycle continues, patients are more likely to develop congestive heart failure.

If congestive heart failure develops, patients will require daily medication and frequent veterinary visits to monitor the disease.

Who gets DCM?

Large dogs that are middle-aged or older, such as Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, and Boxers, are more likely to develop DCM.

Dr. Prabhakar recommends screening your dog if there is a family history of DCM or a predisposition due to breed.

Factors other than breed may play a role in the development of DCM in dogs.

Over the past several decades, veterinary researchers have published data supporting an association between certain diets and DCM.

“These meals are often labeled ‘grain-free’ because they use peas, lentils, other legumes, and potatoes as main ingredients,” Dr. Prabhakar explains. Masu.

She recommends that dog owners avoid feeding “grain-free” or other diets that contain legumes.

What is DCM?

According to Dr. Prabhakar, DCM is different from other heart diseases because it can be present for a long time before patients show clinical symptoms.

Even if the patient appears healthy, the disease is present and progressing.

Clinical signs can vary widely among patients with DCM.

The first symptom may be exercise intolerance or lethargy.

Patients who progress to congestive heart failure may have coughing, collapse, and difficulty breathing.

“Unfortunately, in some dogs, sudden collapse or even death can be the first sign that something is wrong,” Dr. Prabhakar said.

“This is why screening for DCM and monitoring disease progression is so important.”

Because DCM affects the heart muscle, it can also cause abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias.

Arrhythmias occur in the ventricles, the parts of the heart that pump blood to the lungs and throughout the body.

In DCM, arrhythmias can occur at the same time as or before changes in the heart’s shape and musculature, Dr. Prabhakar says.

Managing DCM

Although DCM cannot be cured, the disease can be managed.

“The goal of treatment is to improve the heart’s ability to contract, improve clinical symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath, and delay the onset of congestive heart failure,” says Dr. Prabhakar.

Oral medications are used to increase the efficiency of the heart’s contractions and promote the forward flow of blood.

Patients with congestive heart failure require additional oral medications to reduce fluid accumulation.

“The long-term prognosis of canine DCM is highly variable, with some patients rapidly progressing to congestive heart failure and requiring treatment, while others remain stable for years,” says Dr. Prabhakar. .

However, once congestive heart failure develops, patients usually have a poor prognosis.

Dr. Prabhakar says Doberman Pinschers seem to deteriorate faster than other breeds.

hope for the future

Owning an animal with dilated cardiomyopathy can be scary, but researchers are working on better treatments.

Dr. Prabhakar is participating in a study evaluating the use of a drug called rapamycin in patients with DCM.

This multiclinical clinical trial, called the REPAIR study, aims to determine whether rapamycin reduces heart size and improves contractility in dogs with DCM.

“Rapamycin treatment has been shown to reverse age-related declines in cardiac function in both laboratory animals and pet dogs without significant adverse effects,” says Dr. Prabhakar.

For more information about clinical trials, please visit the Clinical Trials page on the College of Veterinary Medicine website at vetmed.illinois.edu/research/clinical-trials/.