Field Guide · Glossary
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Health and safetyA disease of the heart muscle in which the chambers enlarge and the walls thin, leaving the heart too weak to pump normally.
How it works
As the muscle weakens the heart compensates for a period, which is why the disease is often well advanced before any sign appears. Early cases may show nothing at all, and later ones bring exercise intolerance, coughing, labored breathing or collapse. Several breeds carry an inherited predisposition. A separate diet-associated form, appearing in breeds without that predisposition, is what the grain-free discussion concerns, and the mechanism behind it is not settled.
What it looks like
A large-breed dog is found to have an enlarged heart on a scan taken for an unrelated reason. They had shown no symptoms, and the owner had noticed nothing beyond tiring slightly earlier on walks.
Commonly confused with
- Taurine
- Taurine deficiency is one established cause of this disease. It is not the cause of the diet-associated cases, most of which involve dogs with normal taurine levels.
Related terms