Dinah has an enlarged heart and mild left ventricle dialation

[c zoomer]

the Doctor (cardiologist) has ordered me to take her off of the grain free dog foods and retest in 6 months.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm very sorry to hear this. Did her blood work show a taurine deficiency? Did the vet recommend taurine supplements?

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

I’m very sorry to hear this too. Did Dinah have symptoms or was this discovered in a routine check up? Curious about a possible taurine deficiency as well. Take care.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Dilated cardiomyopathy has many forms, and most of them are genetic. It is known to run in Standard Poodles and recently is also being seen in Miniature Poodles. OFA offers testing for this, but unfortunately, very few doodle breeders are using Poodles who have been tested. Most forms of DCM are unrelated to diet, and require treatment other than changing to a food that contains grains.  
Some information:
 http://cidd.discoveryspace.ca/disorder/dilated-cardiomyopathy.html

[Jennifer and Jack]

I know this post is old but I was wondering how your dog was doing?  

[c zoomer]

Thank you for asking!  Dinah definitely does better on the foods without the overload of legumes.  I don't have inclination to try those brands with moderate legumes "just to see". Her energy came back quickly, but as the echocardiogram showed, besides the dialated heart, she has a slight murmur.  I've continued exercising her in a 15 minute blocks of time.  She is usually ready to "go home" after that, but recently I've tried one twenty minute romp.  She's usually chasing after or jumping to reach her frisbee the whole time, so it's a good workout.  We will be testing again in March, and I'm eager to see just how much improvement there is.  It will be the same doctor, so I'm also hoping the doctor saved the test results from before for a comparison. (This is being done at a OFA clinic at a reduced fee.)

Dinah doing quite well over all. The dental diet with enzymes that help with plaque seems to be working, and if you followed the diet group discussions, she originally switched to a high rated non grain, low legume food but her mouth gave off a sewer odor, so I switched.  We all have our limits of dealing with our dog's maintenance, and I'm working on teeth brushing, and coat brushing in gradual increments.

For those who are curious..if I had just taken her for walks, I doubt if I would have noticed her getting tired...and it did take a year and a half for it to show as a problem.  Warm weather will also cut into her comfort level for exercise, so I will be watching her behavior for signs.  So far, no vet has asked to test for taurine, but that might be done in the future.

i will follow up with all of you at Doodle Kisses after the exam in March.  Hope this is helpful to those of you that might be concerned about your own dog. Thanks again for asking after Dinah.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you for the update. 

[c zoomer]

Today's date is March 5, 2019.  We have a cardiologist appointment on the 31st.  For the past several days I am noticing difficulty In playing for 15 minutes as we usually do.  I am worried now about these next set of tests.  Wondering if it's the food again, or disease. Phew.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sending hugs of support to you.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

How did the test go? How old is Dinah? Could this all be age related as well? I am hoping Dinah is doing well!

[c zoomer]

Hi Lori, thank you for following up.  Are you by chance a conduit to my breeder?  She spoke of offering a certain refund, but I would be ok if she covered the cost I got for the heart testing.  I got it for less than at the doctors office because it was a sponsored clinic.  I believe the pups were to have no cardiac abnormalities, slight murmur or otherwise. I thought I was paying more for Health.  Dinah has been given a close cut groom for summer and it's helping with the overheating.  Dinah's heart measurements actually increased in the 2nd test.  The cardiologist was so dismissive that it made it impossible to get more details.  I actually believe that she will be able to judge better when she has a few more years and dogs to compare.  

You mentioned age related....what I can say is that in my reading learned that many of the genetic faults show up just after 2 years of age...which is why a breeder with 3 year guarantees is prized.  After all, many other dog breeds do not command high prices, yet the vet bills and time caring for the dogs-pups are similar--except in cases with difficult whelping as a common occurrence.  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

So, what treatments are you giving Dinah if any?  What are your observations regarding her energy levels from your post in February and now?

[c zoomer]

Specifically I was told to switch to Purina by the cardiologist.  The murmur is said to be slight, so no plans for surgery.

My local vet is concerned for Dinah's dental health.  Minis are said to frequently have issues with their teeth, and hers were already showing problems at 1. Treatments include special dental formula kibble to keep the bacteria from growing, and regular cleanings at the vet.  The vet offers a service that is done gently by a specialized provider who does not  put Dinah under.

I dont know about dog health, but in human health bad teeth can be a link to causing heart issues.

Energy levels: there was a dip in energy in March, just before her testing and the results in fact were just slightly higher so the observation was accurate.  That's why I began keeping the playtime around 10 minutes.  Dinah is also finding creative things to do and now squirrels her toys in various parts of the quadrant as we are playing.  Drives me nuts, but sometimes it's linked with "taking a break". Lately before the heat blast I thought she was doing good...now with the heat I've decided take walks instead of frisbee.  Today the 20 min. walk was hot (shade) and she sprawled out in the shady grass to cool.  I'm thinking this is a good move to stop frisbee.  She's sleeping and not asking to play, so she must be satisfied.

Are you also a breeder?