Screening for dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common cardiac disease in large breed dogs. The disease can start with arrhythmias&#xa0;or with systolic dysfunction of the myocardium. OBJECTIVE: To describe screening methods for DCM in various breeds and provide a new, modified staging system. RECOMMENDATIONS: Screening for occult DCM should start at three years of age and use Holter monitoring in Boxers&#xa0;and Dobermans and might be useful also in other breeds. Single ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) can be detected in many healthy dogs, but healthy animals typically have <50 VPCs in 24&#xa0;h&#xa0;and demonstrate minimal complexity most often occurring only as single ectopic beats. In general, >100 VPCs in 24&#xa0;h&#xa0;was recommended as the cut-off value for establishing a diagnosis of DCM. However, there are breed-specific recommendations related to Holter recording diagnosis of DCM in Dobermans and Boxers. Yearly screening over the life of a dog is recommended, as a one-time screening is not sufficient to rule out the future development of DCM. Several echocardiographic methods such as M-mode derived measurements, the measurement of the left ventricular (LV) volume by Simpson's method of discs (SMOD), and E-point to septal separation (EPSS) are recommended for screening purposes. The value of additional tests such as cardiac biomarkers (troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) as well as a 5-min&#xa0;resting electrocardiogram (ECG) or newer echocardiographic methods such as strain measurements is discussed. CONCLUSION: This review suggests some guidelines for screening for DCM in various breeds.