Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Dogs
Patti S. Snyder, DVM, MS, DACVIM
Associate Professor, University of Florida
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a very common form of heart disease in dogs. Only degenerative valve disease (also called mitral valve disease or endocardiosis or mitral insufficiency) and in some places heartworm disease are more common. It was not until the 1970s, when echocardiography began to be performed in veterinary institutions, that dilated cardiomyopathy could be diagnosed non-invasively with any certain degree of accuracy. The reported prevalence in dogs is approximately 0.5 percent. Continue reading Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Dogs