Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Taurine levels in Irish wolfhounds with and without heart disease
By Vollmar, Andrea C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2013·Small Animal Veterinary Clinics, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Determination of the prevalence of whole blood taurine in Irish wolfhound dogs with and without echocardiographic evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Irish Wolfhounds was tested for taurine levels in their blood to see if there was a link between low taurine and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart condition. Out of 115 dogs, 49 had DCM, and some had low taurine levels, but the study found no strong connection between taurine deficiency and DCM. However, dogs with any level of taurine deficiency were more likely to develop DCM later on. This suggests that while taurine levels are important, DCM mainly affects older dogs, and monitoring taurine could be beneficial for early detection.
People also search for: Irish Wolfhound heart problems · taurine deficiency in dogs · dilated cardiomyopathy in Irish Wolfhounds
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Taurine plays an important role in maintaining myocardial function. Irish wolfhound dogs (IW) are at risk for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), but a relationship between whole blood taurine (WBT) deficiency and DCM has not been established. Our aim was to determine prevalence of WBT deficiency in IW with and without DCM and assess its association with diet. ANIMALS: 115 privately owned IW. METHODS: Whole blood taurine was measured in IW that received cardiovascular examination. Dietary history was recorded; crude protein and energy intake were estimated. RESULTS: Forty-nine (42.6%) had DCM; 66 (57.4%) had no DCM. Dogs with DCM were older ([median; inter-quartile range or IQR] 5.3; 4.3, 6.2 years) than dogs without heart disease (3; 2, 4 years; P < 0.001). There was no significant relationship between WBT concentration and age (P = 0.64). Whole blood taurine was severely reduced (<130 nmol/mL) in 8 dogs (4 with and 4 without DCM) and moderately reduced (130-179.9 nmol/mL) in 32 dogs (12 with DCM and 20 without DCM). Follow up of dogs without DCM revealed that a higher proportion of dogs with any degree of WBT deficiency developed DCM later compared to dogs with normal WBT (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Whole blood taurine deficiency occurred in IW with and without DCM. Based on taurine measurement on a single occasion, there was no clear relationship between low WBT and presence of DCM in this population. Regardless of WBT, DCM affected predominantly older dogs, suggesting a relatively late onset disease in the IW.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23972628/