Dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the heart muscle that is the most common heart disease of large breeds¹. In the Doberman Pinscher it is inherited and very common, and the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology recommends screening from three years of age with a 24-hour heart rhythm recording and an echocardiogram, repeated every year for life¹. It is also frequent in the Great Dane and the Irish Wolfhound, where one clinical study of 500 dogs found it in about a quarter, often with atrial fibrillation²³. Boxers have a related inherited rhythm disease, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, linked to a mutation in the striatin gene⁴. Diagnosis follows criteria set by the European taskforce⁵.

The disease is silent for years, then shows as a cough, fast breathing, fainting, exercise intolerance, weight loss or a swollen belly. Sudden collapse can be the first sign. Screening in the at-risk breeds finds the hidden stage, when medication can delay heart failure¹.

For a dog under treatment, the resting breathing rate counted during sleep is the single most useful number to keep, and Oldie's care history is a good place to log it.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Your vet knows your dog.

Sources

1. European Society of Veterinary Cardiology screening guidelines for dilated cardiomyopathy in Doberman Pinschers (Wess G et al.). European Society of Veterinary Cardiology, Journal of Veterinary Cardiology 19(5):405-415, 2017. Accessed 2026-09-22.
2. Screening for dilated cardiomyopathy in Great Danes in the United Kingdom (Stephenson HM et al.). Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 26(5):1140-1147, 2012 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.
3. The prevalence of cardiomyopathy in the Irish wolfhound: a clinical study of 500 dogs (Vollmar AC). Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2000 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.
4. Genome-wide association identifies a deletion in the 3' untranslated region of striatin in a canine model of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (Meurs KM et al.). Human Genetics 128:315-324, 2010 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.
5. Proposed guidelines for the diagnosis of canine idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (Dukes-McEwan J et al., ESVC Taskforce). European Society of Veterinary Cardiology, Journal of Veterinary Cardiology 5(2):7-19, 2003. Accessed 2026-09-22.