26/10/2024
So we lost Grayson to an enlarged heart on 4/15. This is a letter my vet wrote for me to provide to all of his siblings. Please read it.
First of all, Thank You for adopting, loving, caring for and making a valued member of your family one of Kaliope and Jax's Dane Babies.
One of the siblings has been diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy, a heart condition known to be common in great danes. The name is often referred to as DCM.
DCM is a condition in which the heart becomes bigger to try to compensate for being a slightly inefficient pump for the job it has to do. This change in size and shape inadvertently becomes detrimental to the pumping power and effectiveness of the heart leading to further inefficiency and further distortion of the heart shape, thus leading to an endless cycle of the heart becoming less and less able to do its job.
Eventually the heart just can't keep up and the physics of fluid pressure in a tube and other forces cause fluid to 'back up' in the chest or abdomen which is then called Conjestive Heart Failure. Although failure is ultimately inevitable once it starts, there are effective medications that can slow the progression of the disease, significantly changing time frames and clinical signs.
There is no doubt among experts that there is a genetic component to this defect in Great Danes - genetic meaning it is written in the DNA. Being that this disease is proven to be Hereditary (parent to offspring) in other breeds, it is thought that DCM is likely hereditary in Great Danes as well due to its very strong presence in the breed.
A hereditary condition means a genetic mutation occured and is able to be passed from the Dam or Sire (Mom or Dad) to one or more puppies even if the Dam or Sire never develops DCM themselves. Being that DCM in great Danes is thought to be hereditary, it is possible that your pup inherited this gene as well - but even if so - won't necessarily 'express it' meaning won't necessarily get DCM or even be prone to heart disease.
What can you do? Why all this information? It is proven that early detection thus early treatment and in some ways taking preventative measures, are steps that can be taken to extend the lifespan of your loved one and there's is no doubt that that is important to you.
Annual or Semi-annual check-ups and bloodwork with your Veterinarian are vital to your pets health, longevity and comfort for any breed by providing early detection of ailments and aging changes. You were all hand chosen for these pups so I have no doubt they are seeing their vets for routine check ups.
There is a nonspecific heart-stress simple blood test that can be run the next time you see your veterinarian. Let them know a sibling of your pet was diagnosed with DCM and you would like to start screening for heart stress. You can ask for a ProBNP CardioPet (or Cardio BNP depending on the lab).
Annual chest x-rays help asses the shape and size of the heart which can be helpful. There are typically changes and struggles occuring prior to the heart changing shape so the blood test is a little more sensitive at early detection. If you want to he very proactive, you make seek the care of a cardiologist for an initial and the. Subsequent screening of the heart.
They can perform an exam of the heart with an ultrasound machine called an echocardiogram (ECHO) that can take very precise measurements. Even if normal, these numerical values are very important to have to compare future ECHOs to year after year.
Even if it is not by DCM, much of what can shorten the lifespan of your Dane can be stress on the heart of pumping blood around that nice tall body. Many Danes pass from heart failure when the mind, kidney, liver, lungs and joints are all still functioning well even with no inherited heart condition. Keeping the heart healthy could add years to your Danes life.
For any breed, Avoiding peas, lintels and legumes (Chick peas, soy, garbanzo beans) in the first 5 ingredients of your pets food is vital!! When these make up a large percentage of the diet, they absorbe and block taurine from being used by the heart. Always read the ingredient list on the back or side of the bag and don't let the happy title foil you. Just because it sounds exciting, caring or innovative doesn't mean it's healthy for your pet.
Below are some links that contain further information. 1) The first one is a collection of facts about DCM written by veterinarians for clients. 2) The next is a request for blood samples from Great Danes from the University of North Carolina Vet School. Their study is trying to identify the genetic mutation or marker responsible not contributing to DCM in great Danes. 3) Lastly is information about the cardio pet test. This is an excellent annual screening tool for early detection of heart stress.
We hope this information is helpful to you to consider early screening of a potential condition your pet may have.
[https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952598](https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952598)
[https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/services/small-animals/genetics/great-dane-dilated-cardiomyopathy/ #:~:text=Great%20Danes%20with%20DCM%20may,heart%20to%20start%20each%20heartbeat](https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/services/small-animals/genetics/great-dane-dilated-cardiomyopathy/ #:~:text=Great%20Danes%20with%20DCM%20may,heart%20to%20start%20each%20heartbeat)
[https://www.idexx.com/files/cardiopet-interpretive-criteria-canine.pdf](https://www.idexx.com/files/cardiopet-interpretive-criteria-canine.pdf)
