SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of DCM include your dog being lethargic, abdominal swelling, coughing, lameness, increased heart rate, heart murmurs, and labored breathing. The early stages of DCM is the most critical time to get your dog to the veterinarian. Symptoms in the early stages of DCM are really easy to miss, and that's the sad part. Even after noticing the symptoms and getting a diagnosis, often times these dogs can be dead within a couple weeks. Best case scenario, the dog will live another one to two years. Some dogs with DCM do well with treatment for a period of time, however, some dogs will never resume a normal lifestyle. Doberman Pinschers have been shown to live as little as 3 months once diagnosed. Other dogs have been known to live between 6-24 months if they respond well to treatment.

With the evolution of the disease, the walls of the heart become thinner and less elastic, losing the ability to contract. As a result, oxygen in the blood does not reach the body in a sufficient amount, and the kidneys and lungs suffer the most. The thinning and limited elasticity of the walls of the heart may also be associated with cardiac arrhythmias. Over 44% of dogs were affected by the disease at 6-7 years of age, and sadly there’s really nothing you can do to prevent DCM in Dobermans because they have been genetically predisposed to have the disease. However, quality diet and regular exercise can ensure your dog has a strong heart and can decrease the dogs chances of developing DCM, as well as potentially increasing their life expectancy. 

DCM has been present in the doberman breed since the 1930’s. Every doberman in the world has some kind of cardiomyopathy in their bloodlines, and some are more severely affected than others.

THE DOBERMAN DIVERSITY PROJECT

https://www.dobermandiversityproject.org/

According to their website, The Doberman Diversity Project is: "a non-profit Scientific Corporation founded to address the genetic health problems and short life span of today's Doberman across the world." They recommend having your dog's DNA tested as a method for disease management and control. Additionally, owners can give consent for the researchers to study their dog's DNA, which "can be a big help to the betterment of the doberman breed." Currently, the exact gene that causes DCM is not known. Getting dogs DNA tested could help to identify this gene. Once the gene is identified it would be easier to control for the gene, allowing for it to be reduced or entirely eliminatred from the pool. The organization especially requests DNA results from Doberman dogs that are 10 years of age or older and healthy, as well as dogs diagnosed with DCM at any age. As of right now, the researchers have less than 50 genetic profiles of Dobermans that meet the needed criteria for study, so one dog can make a big difference and could help save the Doberman breed. They are an amazing breed and I would like to see them around in the future.