BLOGS

Sudden Death in Dogs - Causes and Prevention

What can be more devastating for pet owners than a sudden death of their dog or cat? I've heard horror storis about dogs who died during a walk, at a groomer's, or were found dead by their owners when they came home from work. In most of those cases, a heart disease called cardiomyopathy was the cause of the tragedy. Cardiomyopathy refers to disease of the heart muscle (the myocardium) without malformation of the heart or its valves. There is a breed predisposition to dilated cardiomyopathy in giant breeds, as well as in Doberman pinschers and boxers. Cardiomyopathy can also develop as a result of some toxins, infections or taurine deficiency.



There are several types of cardiomyopathy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - a thickening of the heart muscles causing a decrease in the size of the chambers of the heart. The Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is commonly believed to be inheritable and usually occurs in Rottweiler and Dalmatian breeds, but can affect dogs of a wide range of ages and breeds. The majority of dogs do not show clinical signs of heart disease or have a history of exercise intolerance. In some dogs sudden death will be the only sign of disease. (Sudden cardiac death associated with occult hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a dog under anesthesia by Daniel Pang, Yves Rondenay, Pierre Hélie, Sophie G. Cuvelliez, and Eric Troncy).



Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most common acquired heart diseases in the dog. The dogs diagnosed of DCM suffer from congestive heart failure (CHF) and sudden death is common.



DCM occurs in dogs of all ages, but the risk increases substantially with advancing age. The majority of dogs with DCM are between 4 and 10 years old. In most breeds, males may be affected at an earlier age.



Sudden death can also be caused by Aortic Stenosis - a narrowing of the outflow channel between the left ventricle and the main artery of the body, the aorta. The cause of Aortic Stenosis is believed to be genetically inherited. Symptoms can vary from no signs at all to sudden death. Dogs with mild stenosis will generally show no clinical effects and have a normal life expectancy.



In the case of heartworm infections, there may be no signs of the disease at all but sudden death.



Older small breed dogs may suffer from a heart valve disease called "Mitral Valve Regurgitation." This condition causes a malfunction in the valve on the left side of the heart. Because of the leaky valve, the heart is less efficient at pumping blood to the body. This disease is a leading cause of heart failure in small dogs but it usually doesn't be