This week Snoopy was rushed to the clinic as an emergency. Snoopy is a 10-year-old male Dalmatian with a huge heart just bursting with love for his owners. He’s usually quite a confident dog when visiting the clinic, but this time he was considerably agitated and frightened, and with good reason. Snoopy was having considerable difficulty breathing.
Snoopy’s owners told me that he had had an unexplained bout of vomiting, that he had become a bit slower than usual, more reluctant to move about and he had also started to cough – a deep honking cough. But it was his breathlessness had them really worried. Any form of exertion whatsoever would get him winded.
Upon examining Snoopy’s chest, the sound of an abnormal heart rhythm was unmistakable. Some crackling sounds were audible in his lungs, also his belly was slightly swollen. Both the crackling sounds in the lungs as well as the swollen belly suggested that Snoopy was suffering from fluid build-up in his lungs and body. This, together with an abnormal heart rhythm, pointed to a possible heart condition.
But to confirm this, we would have to perform additional tests and Snoopy was simply not up to it. He first needed to be treated for the fluid retention that was making it so difficult for him to breathe.
Two days later, Snoopy was back for a follow-up. His breathing was better, but he was still coughing. This time, however, we were able to give him a more in-depth examination and I was able to confirm his condition. Snoopy has dilated cardiomyopathy – an enlarged heart.
As it is with humans, a dog’s heart is one of the most important muscles in its body. So, when it starts to malfunction, a dog’s life is suddenly threatened. At its most basic level, a healthy heart comprises of two sides each made up of an upper and a lower chamber. The two chambers on the right are dedicated to the circulation of the lungs while the two chambers on the left are dedicated to the rest of the body.
With dilated cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle becomes defective and starts to pump sluggishly. When this happens, it pumps out inadequate quantities of blood and the chambers inside the heart slowly accumulate blood. As the heart congests with blood, its inner chambers start to stretch to accommodate the excess fluid. This stretching further reduces their ability to efficiently pump out blood.
Symptoms of dilated cardio-myopathy include tiredness, reduced desire to exercise
As the disease progresses, blood pressure in the veins around the heart starts to increase and the heart valves started to leak. Because of the sluggish blood movement, fluid may build up in the lungs and abdomen. Then heart failure slowly but steadily develops.
Unfortunately, the cause of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs remains largely unknown. In certain breeds a nutritional deficiency of taurine and/or carnitine is thought to be a factor that contributes towards this disease. Genetic or family traits may also be involved. It is known that male dogs are more predisposed to the disease than female and that the disease is more likely to manifest itself in larger breeds aged four to 10. Certain breeds seem also to be predisposed, including Dalmatians such as Snoopy, Doberman pinschers, Great Danes and Afghan hounds.
Symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy typically include tiredness, reduced desire or ability to exert or exercise, unusually laboured breathing and loss of appetite. Since lying down places additional pressure on an already stressed heart, a dog suffering from this condition will typically want to avoid lying down and will be unable to relax when resting.
To the untrained eye, it will seem as if the dog’s heart condition has developed suddenly. The reality is that it may have slowly been developing for months before. But the signs are subtle enough that dog owners might not realise that anything is amiss.
When heart disease is suspected, there are various forms of approaches that your veterinary surgeon will opt for depending on the case. For example, an X-Ray may indicate the extent of enlarged heart chambers and fluid on the lungs, while an ECG may expose an abnormal heart beat.
Once dilated cardiomyopathy has been diagnosed, your vet will decide on a combination of medicines suited to your dog’s condition. The vet may recommend that your dog be given a low-salt diet. Salt in the diet contributes towards water retention in the body and with a compromised heart this is the last thing that your dog needs.
The food that you feed your dog would also ideally be high in taurine and carnitine. Taurine is an amino acid that may prevent excessive levels of calcium in the heart, while carnitine is a protein that contributes towards a healthy heart.
Stress is another factor to avoid. Any form of physical stress will make your dog’s heart pump faster. The same applies with mental stress: noisy or frightening situations should be avoided. If you see your dog’s breathing labouring you should immediately take your pet to the vet for a check-up. Regular six-monthly check-ups may help an early diagnosis of heart disease. Some dogs are born with heart disease, while other dogs are predisposed to developing this condition.
Snoopy’s case is quite advanced. While not making light of the situation, Snoopy’s big heart full of love for his owners just got bigger. But if we were to look at it from the positive aspect, his owners are devoted to him and will do anything to ensure his well-being. I have no doubt that their after-care will give him the best possible life that his condition will allow.
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com
Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.