Dilated Cardiomyopathy-The Silent Killer In Dogs
80Our Beloved Harley
Our Man Of The House
Harley was definitely the man of the house! He let you know it, too! He was my husbands best friend. He brought him home when he was just a ball of fur, and fit in the palm of his hand. He immediately put him on his shoulder when he crawled into bed that evening, and that is where Harley spent the rest of his years sleeping in the evening.
I came along when Harley was 3. Harley and I had a tough time at first, he fought me every step of the way asserting that my soon to be husband was his, not mine! Over time, we became good pals. Don't get me wrong, I did my fair share of complaining. Especially when I was kicked off the bed onto the floor. (Harley grew to be 90lbs.) He still insisted on sleeping with my husband, with his head on his shoulder, and could care less where I was, as long as it wasn't near him!
We finally made it to some sort of unspoken agreement and settled into life here in Upstate New York. When my husband was on the road with work, Harley was my best buddy, never left my side. When my husband came home, the tables turned. That was a workable solution for both of us!
Harley was quite the character as well. Anyone that met him fell in love right away. I know looking at him, he looks like a monster, but he really was a lover.
He wasn't raised around kids, so we had a tough time at first acclimating him to my 5 year old daughter. Soon they were inseparable.
Life here on the ranch was working out just fine! I was 7 months pregnant with little girl #2, and all of us were just plain happy.
Harley Singing M.A.S.H. Theme Song
Hangin' Out
The Worst July 4th Ever
My husband was home from a business trip this past July 4th. I was feeling pretty good, since it isn't often that he is home right on the holiday. We were all going about business as usual. My daughter was playing inside, I was doing dishes, and my husband decided to go out to the garden with Harley to check on things.
The next thing I knew, I heard my husband screaming. I told my daughter to stay inside, and I ran out. My husband was yelling for me to get the car, we had to take Harley to the vet. My first thought was he got stung by one of our ground bees. We were having a horrible time with them at this point. I ran back toward the house to get the car, and heard him scream again.
I turned around and he was crouched over Harley crying. He said it was too late. I went over to him, and in between the sobs, he told me Harley had just collapsed while trotting beside him. My husband tried CPR but it didn't work.
Later, after much investigative work and conferring with the veterinarian, it was concluded that he died from Dilated Cardiomyopathy.
At The Sitters
The Disease
We had no idea that Dobermans were at risk for this disease. The only one we had ever heard about was the old wives' tale about their brains swelling, and that is why everyone thinks they are mean dogs.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most common heart diseases in dogs. DCM most commonly affects the left side of the heart. The myocardium (myo- muscle; cardium or cardio- heart) cannot pump blood out of the left side effectively, blood begins to back up within the left side of the heart and also in the pulmonary veins that supply the left side of the heart with blood. This process enlarges the heart to try to compensate for the ineffective pumping.
As this process happens congestive heart failure (CHF) or pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) develops.DCM in the right side of the heart can occur, but is much more rare. The back up on this side of the heart results in right-sided CHF, the fluid accumulates in the abdomen and chest.In some dogs DCM affect both sides of the heart.Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, Boxers, Newfoundlands, Portuguese Water Dogs, Dalmations and Cocker Spaniels are the most common breeds with this disease. They are genetically predisposed to DCM. Large and giant breeds are most commonly affected with DCM, but it can occur in smaller breeds of dogs as well as cats.DCM is most certainly inherited. DCM has been found to be related to nutritional deficiency as well. Specifically Taurine deficiency. Taurine is an amino acid which helps (humans also) development and function of the myocardium. Dogs on vegetarian diets are more succeptable to DCM, and would most likely benefit from supplementation.L-carnitine is another amino acid that has been linked to the development of DCM in people, and Boxers (from one small study).Toxins such as doxorubicin- an anti-cancer drug used to treat cancers in dogs has been linked to DCM.Harley's Christmas Present
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Signs, Diagnosis, & Treatment
Signs and Diagnosis
Signs of DCM depending upon the breed are:
loss of appetite, pale gums, increased heart rate, coughing, difficulty breathing, periods of weakness, and fainting. In some breeds, sudden death, such as with Harley.
Diagnosis can be done, but tends to be expensive. Occasionally the vet will detect an arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) during a physical exam. In Dobermans and Boxers a 24-hour holter monitor is the best way to screen for early signs of DCM. A holter monitor is a 24-hour ECG, these are used for humans as well. Chest x-rays may also be performed, they would show an enlarged heart and any fluid in the lung tissue or chest.
Treatment
Treatment for DCM is drug based. Common drugs used are diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and digoxin. In nutritional DCM supplements would be prescribed. Patients can also have fluid physically removed by the veterinarian to make them more comfortable.
Heart transplants can be done in humans, but unfortunately, not in animals.
Prognosis for DCM is terminal. It is a very progressive disease. If diagnosed early and the right intervention is given, your dog can have several happy years ahead of him/her. Sudden death seems to be the highest in Dobermans from DCM. It accounts for 30% of the deaths from DCM.
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Prevention Of Nutritional Deficient DCM
If you would like to try to prevent nutritional deficient DCM, you would want to supplement your dogs diet. Or you could use a taurine and/or L-carnitine fortified dog food. One such product would be Natural Balance Dog Food
To discover more about why I recommend Natural Balance Dog Food, please follow my link below!
- Natural Balance Dog Food
In this lens I will show you why Natural Balance Dog Food is right for your baby!
My Homemade Recipes
Lily's Burger Meal
1 & 1/3 cup rice cooked
5 oz. (cooked) ground 80% lean beef
2 tsp. fat (vegetable oil)
1 cp. Generic Brand of All Bran
3/4 tsp. bone meal (can be ordered online)
1/4 tsp. potassium chloride (No Salt)
Fry beef (do not drain), mix with other ingredients. Give vitamin/mineral supplement also, you can give whole or pulverize it and mix into food.
This will be the daily formulation for a 40lb. dog.
Nutrient Content
Protein 21%
Fat 20%
Crude Fiber 6.5%
Calcium .66%
Phosphorus .59%
Magnesium .1%
Sodium .2%
Potassium .6%
kcal (as fed) 820
Murphy's Slop
(this one will stink a bit, because of the yeast)
Ingredients
1/2 cp. Cream of Wheat (or generic farina) cooked to make 2 cps.
1 & 1/2 cps. cottage cheese (creamed- use blender)
1 large hard cooked egg
2 tbsp. dried brewer's yeast (inactive) - can be ordered online, or health food store
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. potassium chloride ( No Salt)
1 tbsp. dicalcium phosphate (bone meal)
1 tbsp. calcium carbonate (ground egg shells)
Also feed a multi vitamin-mineral supplement
Directions
Cook cream of wheat according to directions, including salt. Cool. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Keep covered in refridgerator.
Makes 2.2 lbs.
Analysis
Protein 7.1%
Fat 3.7%
Carbs 11.2%
Moisture 75.8%
Kcal 485
These recipes I did speak with the veterinarian about and they approved...If you don't have the bone meal, and brewers yeast, I believe the dog will be fine for a week at the most, until you can get them. Don't get me wrong, they are needed ingredients!
Good Luck and let me know how your darlings like these recipes!
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Thank you Bonnie! We have a memorial for Harley also, a nice flower garden at his burial site also. It is nice to know there are other people out there that value their pets as much as we do! I'm sorry for your loss as well.
Wow! We have a red dobe harley. He's been on Nutro Large breed lamb and rice Natural Choice. It's suddenly been taken off market pet stores saying it's being "repackaged. They put us on Nutro adult lamb and rice. Harley has gas, is vomiting, and just not right. taking him to the vet. He's 5 years old and we LOVE him. Something is wrong. Can anyone give me advice on a good dog food, all natlural?
You could try the above Royal Canin for Boxers(at PetSmart), or Natural Balance, you can find this in PetCo. Both of these have taurine and L-Carnitine. Good Luck with Harley, let me know how you make out, I will pray for you! Don't forget to ask the vet about DCM, if it is possible with him. We went through this same issue with Harley prior to him passing for about 2-3 months. Looking back it probably was all related.
Please let me know how you make out. (Harley was 5 as well)
Sorry for your loss, you have a good hub here, keep his memory alive that shows how much you loved him.
my dog passed away suddenly last week. She was fine and then the next morning she was dying. We woke up and before we could rush her to the Animal ER (driving her ther) she passed away. I know your pain and it is so shocking that you feel horrible. I hope you and your family the very best and I want to personal thank you for creating this site.
Mary, I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story with us, maybe it will help someone else learn about all the "hidden" diseases out there that can gravely affect our loved ones!
One of my my beloved dogs was diagnosed today with DCM. He's mix Cane Corso. Big fellow with a big heart. I fear the day he will not be with me anymore. And I'm shocked to read that Dobermans are more prone to this killier disease. My other dog is a Doberman. It's unbearable to think I might lose both dogs for the same disease.
I'm really sorry for your loss, and thanks for sharing your story. My dobie looks just like your Harley.
Hi Lilymag,
Harley looks absolutely adorable!!
I know what its like to lose our beloved pets,and i too offer you my deepest sympathy and I know and hope this hub can educate others!!
I came to your site because 2 hours ago I lost my 3 year old dobie girl Sadie to sudden death dilated cardio. I am having a very difficult time. She was fine and running around playing and the next thing I knew she collapsed. I feel like a failure. She deserved so much better than I could have gave her. I loved her so much. I am so sorry for you loss. God Speed Harley and Sadie.
We lost our 6 year old Husky 4 days ago to DCM. He died in his sleep. Our entire family is distraught, including our other pets. There were no warning signs so we're trying to covercome the shock of his untimely passing. Let there be solice that all of our pets were in good, loving homes, and passed peacefully with family close by.
Thanks for the info! Sorry for your loss, but glad you've got a new puppy to keep you on your toes! We had a scare last night when our puppy pug got an allergic reaction to her annual vaccine shots. Her face was swollen and had trouble breathing. We were able to rush her to the 24 hr. animal hospital and they kept her overnight. She's fine now, but I had never seen my husband cry before this. I want all our dogs to live long, healthy lives!
We just found out yesterday that our 2 year old chocolate lab has an enlarged heart. Is there any hope for animals with this diagnosis? We have an appointment at a large vet school here in NC on the 28th. Does anyone have any advice to ask the doctors there?
My advice to you would be to definitely put him on an "all natural diet" whether it be homemade or store bought. Make sure there are no artificial colors, or preservatives in what you are feeding him/her. Ask the vets if they think any supplements may help. They most likely will put your baby on blood pressure medication. Usually that is the case, it helps the heart work less. If the heart is enlarged it is working harder than it should. Good luck and let me know how you make out!
i have found out tonight that my 8 year old english bulldog cross bullmastiff has DCM and that if he lives for 18 months i would of done really well, i am absolutely devistated and have cried most of the evening. im glad i found this site with other people who will understand how i am feeling, as i can see that you have all experienced the same thing. i have read some sites that sugges that there are some herbal remedies that may help, hawthorne berry, flower & leaf, motherwort, cactus grandiflorus, cayenne pepper and ginger & red clover. has anyone tried or heard if these do help? im so upset, he doesnt act like a dog, and every time he has looked at me tonight with his enormous brown eyes, i start crying again. the vets told me last night that he had fluid on his lungs and they would investigate today, but a course of tablets would clear it up, so you can imagine my shock when i was told tonight when i picked him up that he had this awful disease and his life expectancy wasnt great, i am sorry to write an essay, but as i mentioned, although i dont know any of you, i know that you understand what this feels like
Emma Jayne-
I am so sorry to hear about your baby...I do understand...Harley was definitely our baby, as are our current "babies"...They are not dogs to us, they are a part of the family, they are my children. Sorry, I can't help you with the herbal remedies, as I haven't educated myself enough in that field yet to comment. I do suggest to make sure there are no fillers, artificial colors, preservatives, etc. in his food. You can always make his food if you aren't comfortable with any commercial food you find. One of my blogs goes into this detail a little bit- http://needdogfoodrecipes.blogspot.com/
Let me know how you are doing. The pain will never go away, we still cry...but it will get a little easier to get through your days. ( I know that is no consolation right now...)
hi lilymag
i think what makes it worse at the moment is that he doesnt look ill or behave any differently, he's still a nutter lol, my heart jumps a beat every time he has a mad moment cos im petrified his heart is going to give up. i think my worst fear is because i am at work during the week, the reality of it is, i will probably not be here when he does go and it makes me so upset to think that he will be on his own cos i dont want hm to suffer or be in pain when it does happen as im not sure if it like the equivalent of a heart attack. oh and with the food situation, i have been cooking his meals, a combination of pasta, rice, chicken, tripe, tuna, carrots and apples, although not all in the same meal lol im sorry to bombard you with long essays, but you have helped me tremendously, and i have found what you and others on your site have said more informative and relative than the vet.
Emma Jayne-
I am so glad we are here to help. This is exactly why I made this hub! Let me or anyone else here know if you need anything!
Wonderful that you are feeding homemade...My babies love it, and better yet, there is less poop to clean up since it is so much more digestible!
i think my dog, a mini schnauzer is suffering from the same condition too, but i really dont know what to do. she refuse to eat anything we fed her for 3 days already, even her favourite foods, and needless to say her medicine. do u know anything i can give her to make her start eating again?
Vicky, I am sorry to hear your little guy is not feeling well. I have switched my babies to strictly homemade food. I will post the recipe here in a moment. You could give it a try, I'm sure most dogs wouldn't give up the chance to eat hamburg!!!!
I my Max died last Saturday. We were on our walk - had stopped to talk with neighbors and kids. Max was being his usual self trying to play with a neighbors new puppy and trying to meet a new dog. I was restraining him when stopped pulling got very quite. After finishing my chat with my neighbors I decided to continue our walk when Max collasped. It was horrible - it was over in minutes. I kept thinking if I had only not taken him for a walk I would have a few more hugs and kisses.
Hi, so sorry about Harley. My daughter's 8yo dobie, Greta, has just been diagnosed with DCM. We are all devastated as we helped raise her from 8weeks. However, she is on meds, has always eaten Natural Balance Lg Breed lamb and rice, and the cardiologist and regular vet feel that she'll be able to continue for a while. I know we shall all miss her, especially my grandsons - 5 and 18months - and my dalmatian with whom she plays. Will try your recipes. I laughed when I saw the bone meal as both Greta and Olivia found my 10lb bag of bone meal for my garden and had a grand time and a good feast! There are sites on the web for natural foods for dogs and in some cities, such as San Diego (where we are), there are holistic vets. Good luck to all. Karen DeLaria
Hi there, have just read the sad story on Harley & other dogs on this site, i'm so sorry for all your losses. I have always been a Rottweiler owner who thankfully is not on the "At risk" list, although it doesnt mean they cannot get it.But my friends who live oposite me have a beautiful boxer bitch of 5 years old named Bonnie, she has just be diagnosed with this awful disease, her first & ONLY symptoms were that she collapsed 4 times over the weekend. Since that happened only 2 weeks ago she has had the 24hr heart monitor with very good positive results, & is responding well to medication so far.I have recently come to have extreme faith in alternative medicine,which one of my rotty's is having after my vets scratched their heads & didnt know what was wrong or where to start.My rotty had acupuncture & Chiro & after just one treatment he was like a new dog with a new lease of life, he has to have one more treatment to make the recovery permenant, but i cant believe the difference in him. Both my rotty's are on Royal Canin & have grown up on it, they have never had any problems that have related to diet,infact apart from this 6 month old pup having Chiro for an A-Symetrical pelvis, he has no other problems, & my 3 yr old male has never had a problem so far in his life apart from an ear infection. Royal Canin is the ONLY dried food they will eat, they have this combined with fresh meat,either mince beef or whatever steak is on offer on the time, also chicken breasts, & twice a week they have a big tin of salmon or tuna in with their dinner,everyone comments on their coats which are so glossy & shiney,but i know this way they are getting all the fish oils & fatty acids that they need.They also have raw egg 3 times a week & believe it or not it is not expensive to feed them this way. I live in australia & the total combined Royal Canin, fresh meat, fish & eggs works out to roughly $35 to $40 (aus) per week for BOTH dogs, my 3 yr old is a healthy 60.2k & my 6 month old is 36.4k
Reading comments from above about Royal Canin, i totally agree & highly recommend it, i have researched all these dried foods, Royal Canin, Eukanuba,Science, Supercoat, Pedigree natural, etc etc & NONE of them have all the ingredients & % of them that Royal Canin do. RC is also coated in chicken to make it more appealing to dogs, it actually smells really nice compared to all the others.I know my dogs are getting the very best with it, after reading your site & comments today i am now going to persuade my friends with the boxer to switch to Royal Canin for Bonnie,& whereas they may not believe all the good points i tell them about it, i'm sure after showing them your site & reading it for themselves,will change their minds.
Bless you all & all of your lost loved one's & also the new one's in your lives.
Elaine Australia
I just wanted to express my extreme sadness for you all. I lost my 9 year old weimaraner last week. One minute she was fine and went to sleep. She never woke up. As a precaution I have just had my 7 year old weimaraner xrayed and she also has an enlarged heart - suspected DCM. I can't believe I might lose both my babies at all, let alone possibly close together. I don't know how you all cope but it is some comfort knowing I am not the only one. I hope all our babies are happy in heaven.
I too have found out that my baby girl one and a half year old rottie has DCM. I am still crying as I type. Am interested in the best food for her available in Australia. Anyone know?
Darl,Karen,Elaine,Alli, and Kellie-
I am so sorry to hear about your babies. If you can't find a all natural dog food in Australia(where meat is the first ingredient, and you don't see any "fillers" on the ingredients list), you can always try one of the recipes above. I have mixed them up a bit by adding vegetables like carrots, potatoes, broccoli also fruit, like apples, and bananas. Just make sure you read up first on what veggies and fruit are ok to give to dogs. Some of them can be deadly.
Good luck!
Kate
Lilymag, gorgeous (gigantic) dog, sad story :( but thanks for creating awareness.
We lost our Teddy 2 days ago to DCM. He had been diagnosed almost 4 years ago and had been given about 6 months to live. So I feel blessed that we had him as long as we did. He was on a group of meds (digoxin, enalapril, diltiazem, and mexelitine for abnormal heart rhythm). His death was sudden. He was outside running around and he suddenly dropped, let out a horrible moan, and was dead within a minute. At least I could be with him when he died.
Hi Lilymag. What a well written article. Thank you.
Please come by an comment on my hubpage on pet health at:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Pet-Health-Protection
I would really like to hear your opinion.
Thanks,
W
Dear Lilymag, I have a 10 year old Red Dobe that looks like he could have been Harley's twin brother. Unfortunately, our Kuma was just diagnosed with advanced DCM very suddenly. Now that i look back on it, he had all the symptoms leading up to last week when he had trouble breathing and collapsed. We took him to the ER and they have him on a diuretic and an ACE inhibitor and give him six months to live. We love him so much and he has always been an extremely healthy, active dog so we are concerned about his quality of life. They said no exercise and for a 90 lb Doberman who used to run miles with my husband this is difficult. Thanks for sharing your story with me. It helps to know others have been through the same thing.
i first found your site 8 mths ago,in Jan when i had just found out that my beloved Beau was diagnosed with DCM. In march he was attacked by a neighbours dog and was lucky to come out with just a bad laceration to his ear, the vet told me that he might not survive the anaesetic cos of his condition and they sent him to a nearby medivet as they had more staff to watch over the procedure incase anything happened, against all odds that the vet warned me about, he pulled through it ok. i had to take him to the vet tonight for his 3 mth checkup before thay would prescribe me with any more tabs and he has found that all of the lymph glands are promenant and the diagnosis now is leukaemia. i now have 3 options. 1. doing nothing and the prognosis is 6 - 8 weeks. 2. giving him steroids and the prognosis is 2 - 4 mths. 3. giving him continuous chemo and the prognosis is 9 - 12 mths. ive decided not to go with the chemo, he was given 18 mths in jan, and if the chemo is going to extend him for 9 - 12 mths, i dont want him to be sick from the treatment until the end, i would be doing it for selfish reasons if i decided to go with that. at the same time, i dont know a lot about leukaemia so i dont know if he is suffering. i guess the problem is, and anyone and everyone who has visited or will visit this site will understand, the first couple of days after receiving any news like DCM, or leukaemia like me tonight, your mind is racing with the information and trying to take it all in is hard, especially knowing what to do for the best.
can dogs get kennel cough. if a member of the family smokes about 4 cigarettes daily outside.
I have a 6 year old Cocker Spaniel, Monty and he was diagnosed with DCM in May thi year. He seems to be deteriorating rapidly but is not suffering in any way, I couldnt bear that. He has to have another x-ray tomorrow to see if the fluid is still on his lungs or whether his heart is more enlarged.
Bonnie Ramsey says:
2 years ago
Lilymag,
I can certainly relate to your pain. I had a pekignese/wiener mix that was 16 when he died last summer of CHF. When diagnosed by the first vet, he wanted to put him to sleep right away. Since he wasn't suffering at all at that point, I just couldn't do it without a second opinion. I am so glad I did! He lived another year after the first vet found the CHF by treatment with medications as well as removal of the fluids by the vet. Grant it, the treatments, meds and vet bills were expensive but we never had to think about doing it. We told him to do whatever was necessary to give us as much time as possible with him without suffering on his part.
As hard as it was to make the decision that we knew all along would face us, we were able to feel confident that when it came to that point, we knew we had done all that we could for him. I will always miss him (Pete) but I know that he is no longer suffering and I sleep better knowing that we did all that we could but were able to let go when that time arrived. He had a small funeral, complete with a hand made casket and marble headstone. I wrote a hub about it called "He wasn't our pet, he was our son". And that is exactly what he was to us! I feel for you with your loss but understand that he did not suffer and had a wonderful, happy life with a family that loved him. That is the most important thing!
Bonnie