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-Grave: Other causes of cardiomyopathy
-Grave: Other causes of cardiomyopathy
==From Pathology==
''Incidence:''
Most common form in the dog. Seen in young to middle aged dogs of large breeds:
*St Bernard
*Great Dane
''Clinical signs:''
Disease is a slowly progressive dilation of the ventricles with a loss of contractility. This is seen histologically as random myofibrillar thinning and degeneration of myocyte mitochonria, although it is possible that no histological lesions are present.
Clinical signs will appear as a sudden onset disease as there will be an acute decompensation for the pathology that had accumulated gradually. Signs include those of a congestive heart failure:
*Pulmonary oedema.
*Ascites.
*Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly.
''Diagnosis:''
Gross cardiomegaly with cardiac hypertrophy, dilation and decreased contractility.
Histopathologically; increased ''attenuated wavy fibres'' within the myocardium. Fibres are thinner than normal and have a wavy appearance. May develop due to a chronic volume overload.
*Ventricular dilation, particularly the left ventricle, distorts the AV-valves which often become incompetant.
*'''Fibrillation''' is a common finding as dilation of the myocardium induces abnormal electrical activity and arrhythmias.
Variations of the disease exist in specific breeds:
*'''Doberman''': Present with arrhythmias. Histologically there are lymphocytic infiltrates within the ventricular myocardium. See focal degeneration of the bundle of His, probably due to narrowing of small vessels near the conductive tissue.
*'''English Cockers:''' Familial with many dogs having sub-clinical disease.
[http://w3.vet.cornell.edu/nst/nst.asp?Fun=F_Ssrch View images courtesy of Cornell Veterinary Medicine]
[[Category:Cardiomyopathy]]