If you read how Max & Co Pets was born you probably know all about Max, he was our baby. If you don’t know Max, let me tell you a little bit about him. Max was our beloved boxer. He was 6 years old when he passed away unexpectedly. You can read more about Max’s story here. Now looking back I can recognize some red flags along the way, but at that time we truly thought Max was healthy. Had I known then what I know now, I could have saved him.
Today I believe Max’s death was caused by canine dilated cardiomyopathy, DCM for short. Of course, this is just my opinion based on my own research. Unfortunately, I can’t confirm this and his vet at that time did no testing, and I didn’t insist on any. This was mistake #1.
What is DCM?
Canine DCM is disease of the heart affecting its function. According to the FDA, “DCM is a disease of a dog’s heart muscle and results in an enlarged heart. As the heart and its chambers become dilated, it becomes harder for the heart to pump, and heart valves may leak, which can lead to a buildup of fluids in the chest and abdomen (congestive heart failure).”
In other words, when the muscle wall of the heart becomes thinner, the heart loses its ability to pump blood to the rest of the body causing the heart valves to leak, resulting in an accumulation of fluid in certain tissues, including the lungs. Left untreated it results in congestive heart failure.
What are the recognized symptoms of DCM in dogs?
Symptoms of DCM in dogs vary. Some reported symptoms include:
- Lethargy or weakness
- Anorexia
- Labored breathing
- Panting
- Coughing or gagging
- Abdominal distension
- Sudden collapse or fainting
- rapid breathing when resting or sleeping (more than 30-35 breaths per minute)
- increased effort associated with breathing
- restless sleeping; moving around a lot and changing positions
- reduced ability to exercise
- decreased appetite
- weight loss
- distended belly
- depressed attitude or quiet and not interactive
- sudden death
- peripheral edema
Months before Max’s passing we noticed Max’s right leg was swollen. We kept an eye on it and noticing it wasn’t getting any better, we took him to the vet. Our vet couldn’t see any puncture wounds and couldn’t determine the cause of the fluid buildup. He convinced us that it must have been a discrete insect bite, added a penrose drain to his leg, and gave us a prescription for antibiotics. This was mistake #2.
What we know now is that congestive heart failure can cause fluid to leak from the veins in the limbs causing swelling. This is also known as peripheral edema.
The day before his passing, Max collapsed at my feet on my way out to work. I thought he had a seizure and described it as such to the vet over the phone that day. I spent all day at work looking for a veterinary neurologist to schedule an MRI for Max.
Max’s collapse was in fact not a seizure. It was caused by heart arrhythmia.
Arrhythmias: As DCM progresses, many affected dogs experience problems in the electrical part of the heart that signals when and how the heart should beat. If signals to the rest of the heart are abnormal, an arrhythmia, or an abnormal heart rhythm, occurs. This may be noted on a routine examination when your veterinarian listens to your dog’s heart with a stethoscope. Severe arrhythmias may result in dogs suddenly collapsing or fainting. Some dogs that experience arrhythmias due to DCM will die suddenly with no other previous symptoms of disease.
This was mistake #3.
I’m sharing this today not to beat myself up for this, I have done that already. I share in the hope that our story, Max’s story, can save other dogs.
Between January 1, 2014 and July 31, 2020, the FDA received more than 1100 case reports of diagnosed dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs.
For us, one case is way too many. Stick around for part 2 where we will dive into some known causes of DCM, diagnosis, and treatment.
And if I can leave you with something, let it be this: trust your gut and think outside the box, get a second (heck, even third) opinion, and do your research!
