TTS Page on DCM

I first posted this article about three years ago ( march 2004? )  Paragraphs in red are the changes I have added to the article since the original publishing.  In April 2007 I decided to send out a refresher to my Yahoo group and  email list regarding some health problems after a friend of mine lost a dog to bloat and did not know the signs.  This was an owner that has had danes FOR YEARS, he is a dane advocate in every sense of the world and I thought he knew every thing. . .  I was truly taken by surprise.

  Shortly afterwards ( with in DAYS) another friend found out the dog they owns father has been diagnosed with DCM. This sparked more discussion on inheritance and when to be worried and when to be cautious.   The first article I sent out was on bloat.  The 2nd was on DCM.  Seemed logical to me. 

First I sent it out to the Yahoo group and then to my email list. A week later I sent the DCM article in a private emailings to my  yahoo Group and to ONE other breeder ( who is not part of this group) I thought she might benefit from the information.   Instead of taking the email as intended ( as education on the disease)  It was taken as some sort of smear campaign against Taz's breeders and any ancestor back behind him that could ( and should) be considered a DCM carrier and/or affected Great Dane. 

Though the following links have been available on the same page as this one, I am now adding them here so you can look at other sources straight from this page. 

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2496

http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00034.htm

http://www.gdca.org/cardio.htm

http://ginnie.com/DaDane298.shtml

Inheritance of DCM in Great Danes

Every breeder is afraid of offending another by actually displaying pedigree information on DCM dogs.  Most breeders will NEVER let you know that they have had a dog with any disease.  There is a stigma associated with producing any dog that has ANY inherited disease.  It is not the inheritance that should be the big worry; it is what the breeder does with the information.  Producing a dog that has a hidden recessive expressed after many generations ofseemingly cleared dogs is not something that you can predict.  If you are screening your dogs and following your puppies through out their life: you are doing all you can.   

I have been unfortunate enough to lose 2 dogs to this silent killer.  Both were confirmed cases through a Texas A&M veterinary pathologist.  At the end of this article you will find both pedigrees with the carrier, possible carrier and possible affected ancestors marked. 
PLEASE NOTE:  I am working back words through the pedigrees of2 dogs positively diagnosed of dying of DCM, marking known ancestors with out knowing how they actually died.  If the assumption of inheritance is correct then the marked dogs were either carriers or affected animals.  DUE TO BEING THREATENED WITH LAW SUIT I HAVE REMOVED THE MARKING OF THE PEDIGREE. THIS DOES NOT CHANGE THE LIKELY MODE OF INHERITANCE, IT IS WHAT IT IS.   Information leads to the power of change.


What is DCM?
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a primary heart muscle disease. It is usually characterized by enlargement of the left ventricle. The muscle wall of the ventricle becomes thin and stretches, resulting in an enlargement and weakening of the chamber.  A weakened heart muscle can no longer pump blood effectively. This causes a buildup of fluid in the lungs and elsewhere. It eventually leads to heart failure and death.

What Are the Signs of DCM?
Loss of appetite, pale gums, increased heart rate, coughing, difficulty breathing, periods of weakness, and fainting are signs commonly seen.  Since blood is “backed up” into the lungs, respiratory signs (Congestive heart failure-CHF) are due to pulmonary edema. ( We mistaken Taz's first signs as a run of mild kennel cough)

When blood returning to the right side of the heart from the body  backs up it can lead to fluid accumulation in the abdomen (fluid/ ascots) or in the chest cavity (pleural effusion).  Weakness or collapse may be caused by abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia's) and sometimes a decreased  flow to the body (depressed cardiac output).
Sudden death or fainting can occur well before any signs of CHF.( as with Max)
With Taz he also had a strange run of pitting adema in his rear feet. . .when this happened we ran an EKG and x-rayed his heart and found nothing.

WHAT WE KNOW
It is inherited
No genetic tests exist to identify affected individuals at this time, but researchers are trying to identify the genes associated with DCM.
It is passed down through the Dam (mother) this makes it x-link recessive.
This means dams pass on a defective X chromosome to statistically 50% of their offspring.
Though there are rare cases of females developing DCM they would have to inherit the gene from BOTH parents (meaning they would have to have a mother that is a carrier and a father that is affected) WE WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT IN 17 YEARS OF WORKING IN A VETERINARY HOSPITALS (INCLUDING AN INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST) I HAVE NEVER SEEN A FEMALE WITH DCM ( any breed). I HAVE SEEN MANY MALES WITH IT THOUGH. ( all breeds)

OK IN ENGLISH:  Mother passes the recessive gene down to 50% of her puppies . . .males that have the gene are affected, females are carriers.  It is necessary to treat ALL decedents and ancestors as carriers.
Females have 2 X chromosomes.
Males have one X and one Y

Affected males will produce 100% carrier daughters, as they give this defective X chromosome to all their female offspring. Then these carrier daughters produce again affected sons. However, when a disease is X-linked, the sons of an affected sire are NOT at risk, as they do not inherit an X chromosome from their sires.

DCM is an adult on set disease.  The problem with screening for it is just that.  If the male is affected at 18 months it is likely he has never been used in a breeding program and the problem is easily avoided.   If he is affected at 8 years of age it is a completely different scenario.  AGAIN it is what we do with this information that defines us as a breeder.  I had frozen on Taz, I chose to dump it. 
When making breeding decisions I have looked at all of the possible carrier descendants in the last 5 generations.  Many of these dogs are in all pedigrees.  Ultimately it is a crap shoot.  By following out my puppies I hope to make educated decisions in future generations.

Reg Name:	Taz Relampago
Reg #:	WP995028/03	Breed/Variety:	Great Dane
Birth Date:	06/15/2000	Sex:	Male
Colors/Markings:	Harlequin
Breeder(s):	Edna A Sypowicz

Taz Relampago DCM affected WP995028/03 Harlequin TAZ OFA INFO	Dreamake's Beau Geste WP810340/08 01-01 Harlequin	Rondo's Falstaff WP385221/02 08-93 Harlequin OFA25F AKC DNA #V38790	CH Riverwood's Rondo WG383756 04-91 Harlequin OFA29E EXTENDED PEDIGREE	Ruths Rambo N'Co WF777529 07-87 Black & White	CH BMW Bull Lea WF331858 08-84 Harlequin EXTENDED PEDIGREE
					Gmj's The New Yorker And Co WE503824 12-83 Harlequin
				Riverwood's Ringtop Nevey WF604458 06-86 Harlequin EXTENDED PEDIGREE	CH BMW Bull Lea WF331858 08-84 Harlequin EXTENDED PEDIGREE SIRE OF: Ch. Michaeldane Sugar Free
					Ringtop's Edelweiss Von DMS WE872999 08-84 Harlequin
			Dan-Mar's Jazmin Potpourri WG408103 05-92 Harlequin OFA29G	CH Chauffeured's Dr LevyJR WF857148 06-87 Harlequin OFA36G	BMW Winston Churchill WF667042 08-86 Harlequin
					Chauffeured's Coalette WF520348 08-86 Black EXTENDED PEDIGREE
				Dan-Mar's Jazmin V Riverwood WG099930 04-90 Harlequin OFA28G	Ruths Rambo N'Co WF777529 07-87 Mantle
					Riverwood's Snowdrift WF863762 07-87 White
		BISS CH Scarbrough's Lady Caroline WP375467/01 04-95 Harlequin ( died age 12)	Quateback Liberte WG494414 07-91 (West Germany) Harlequin EXTENDED PED	Atlas A D Emirat DDC VDH/DDC 88172 (West Germany) Harlequin	Nobile A D Eldorado DDC VDH/DDC 82962 Black with white marking
					Lana A D Eldorado DDC VDH/DDC 79844 Harlequin
				Noblesse Liberte DDC VDH/DDC 91578 Harlequin	Gallo V Harlekin DDC VDH/DDC 85542 Harlequin
					Dodine D'Oro Liberte DDC VDH/DDC 82399 Harlequin
			Scarbrough's Sallie Sioux WF842368 05-88 Harlequin	Scarbrough's Anaconda WE912788 01-82 Harlequin	Konak's Huckleberry Finn WD202223 09-79 Harlequin
					Konak's Dark Side Of Moon WE005624 05-80 Harlequin
				X-Cell's Miss Hellion Von Aus WF786722 08-86 Harlequin	Big Ben V Meistersinger WE530834 10-84 Harlequin EXTENDED PEDIGREE
					X-Cel Somthin Special Arndal WF368244 10-84 Harlequin
	Bradbury Sophia Dreamaker WP619950/03 05-99 Mantle	BISS CH Rockbridge's Rodney  WP369735/02 12-93 Harlequin Extended pedigree	CH Stiegerhill Trail Blazer WF998059 04-90 Harlequin OFA48G EXTENDED PEDIGREE	CH Chauffeured's Dr Levy JR WF857148 06-87 Harlequin OFA36G	BMW Winston Churchill WF667042 08-86 Harlequin
					Chauffeured's Coalette WF520348 08-86 Black EXTENDED PEDIGREE
				La Bella Benicia J R WF614278 01-87 Harlequin	CH Chauffeured's Deegan E WE188295 03-81 Harlequin OFA28
					Jr's Crystal Blue Bell WF452567 12-84 Harlequin
			Rockbridge's Rosalyn WG368970 02-92 Harlequin	BMW Avalanche WG343146 03-90 Harlequin	CH BMW Graffiti CD WF753171 12-86 Harlequin SIRE OF: AM.CH. BMW MIGNONNE, CD, TT, CGC, TDI
					BMW Serenity CD WF721509 04-87 Harlequin Sire:CH BMW Ruffian Dam:CH BMW Prima Donna
				Rockbridge's Anisette WF803551 03-90 Mantle	CH BMW Brody WE652245 11-81 Harlequin
					CH Rockbridge's BMW Rachel WF447425 05-86 Harlequin
		Heart's Matters Of The Heart WP475227/03 07-95 Harlequin	CH Heart's BMW Forever Yours WP310954/06 07-93 Harlequin	CH BMW Graffiti CD WF753171 12-86 Harlequin SIRE OF: Ch. BMW Mignonne CD	CH BMW Brody WE652245 11-81 Harlequin
					CH BMW Impeccable WF332671 09-85 Harlequin
				Liqueur's Take Me To Heart WF941188 02-91 Harlequin EXTENDED PEDIGREE	Liqueur Apollo Creed WF689383 04-87 Mantle
					Liqueur's Antiquity WF572361 04-87 Harlequin
			BMW Heart' Sophisticated Risk WG423765 07-93 Mantle OFA52E	BMW Robin Goodfellow   WF979503 10-88 Harlequin Extended ped	CH BMW Talisman WF753172 06-87 Harlequin SIRE OF: AM ch. BMW Oberon
					BMW Pandemonium WF908279 06-87 Harlequin
				CH BMW I'll Take Manhattan WG090096 04-90 Harlequin Died at 3 years old.	CH BMW Graffiti CD WF753171 12-86 Harlequin
					CH BMW Jeanne D'Arc CD WF569460 03-88 Harlequin

MAX:

CINNAMON's DISCOING MAX DCM affected	CH Calypso's Disco By the Bay	CH Demand's G Tome V Jorvian	CH Nightwind's Time Travler	CH Von Shrado's I'm a Knock out
				CH Nightwind's Sheer Elegance
			CH Terregan's Trefaedra Jorivan	CH Dundane Whistle's at Sharacon
				CH Terregan's Juss One Gal
		CH Calypso's I'm Born to Boogie	CH Vztop Ragtime Boy V FLMG Oak	Ch Lamb Creak Hunter Of Vztop
				CH Lams Creak Holy Terra
			CH HONEY LANES I'm BREATHLESS	Danefield's Were Eagles Fly
				CH HONEY lane Promises Promises
	Melbars Ragtime Cinnamon Spice Fawn w/ mask	Mel-Bar's Bratty Brutus Fawn W/mask	Mel-Bar's Baron Von Bruno Fawn	Sandy Boy Of Tuare
				Lone Stare Lady II
			Fraulien Hiedi Of Mel-Bar Fawn	CH Calico Rocks Frazier Belmont
				Belmonts Forever Amber
		CH Flam'gOak Sugarnspice V Mel-bar Fawn W/mask	Ch Vztop Ragtime Boy V FLMG Oak	Ch Lamb Creak Hunter Of Vztop
				CH Lams Creak Holy Terra
			Lucky Ladd Jaz of Flam'g Oak	CH Lambs Creak Hunter of Vztop
				CH Lambs Creak Glory For Kimco

 
Information on DCM collected from VP Client Community Contributors and the article: Dilated Cardiomyopathy; Dr Robert Prosek