Extremely Anxious about first DCM screening

[Sage024]

Hey all, haven’t updated in a while. Kanda is now just a little over 2 and a half years old and he is just the best dog you could ever ask for. If you look back at my older posts, you can see it took some work past the puppy stage to get here but it all paid off and he’s amazing.

Kanda isn’t having any symptoms of DCM but since he’s over 2, I took him in yesterday for his first echo and holter. Neither of his parents have DCM so that’s on our side, but it’s always been my greatest fear for him. Yesterday the cardiologist said based on his echo she is not diagnosing him with DCM, although she did say that his heart is on the larger end of the healthy spectrum for dobermans. She specifically said “dobermans have their own criteria for normal. If he were a golden retriever, his heart would be considered large. But for a Doberman, his heart is still within the healthy range, he’s just on the bigger side of the spectrum”. She wants us to test again next year to make sure it isn’t getting bigger and that this is just how he is and that this is his normal.

The other thing she said is that his heart contracts on the lower end of the spectrum, but is still considered healthy. They like to see contraction to 25% But his is 26-27%. She said that based on these results she isn’t diagnosing him with DCM, and he would still be eligible to breed (he’s neutered but she was just letting us know).

I just dropped off his 24hr Holter Monitor and it’ll take 5-7 business days before they call with his results.

I am incredibly anxious and stressed over this. I am so worried sick that his holter monitor could have bad results that mean he has DCM. He’s only 2 and a half, he’s perfect, he’s healthy, he’s handsome. I don’t know how I’ll handle it if he gets bad results. Using all my will power to wish for healthy results.

Any advice or stories anyone can share? Does his echo indicate potential bad news with the Holter? I’m worried sick over this

Attached some updated pix of the big lug

 

[JanS]

He's a handsome boy!

Our two aren't old enough for an echo and holter yet so I can't give you a lot of advice.

She said that based on these results she isn’t diagnosing him with DCM, and he would still be eligible to breed (he’s neutered but she was just letting us know).

I don't think a reputable cardio vet would say that if it wasn't true so that's a good thing.

Does his echo indicate potential bad news with the Holter? I’m worried sick over this

No, but now you'll have a baseline to keep an eye on in the future. Sometimes the results of either one can vary from year to year depending on the situation.

 

[Sage024]

He's a handsome boy!

Our two aren't old enough for an echo and holter yet so I can't give you a lot of advice.

I don't think a reputable cardio vet would say that if it wasn't true so that's a good thing.

No, but now you'll have a baseline to keep an eye on in the future. Sometimes the results of either one can vary from year to year depending on the situation.

Thanks for the reply, I really hope it’s not any indication and that the holter comes back good. He’s my first Doberman, so I’ve never done any of this before

 

[Kaiser2016]

It is great that you are getting this done for your handsome beast! We had this done for Kaiser so I understand the fear and nervousness around it.

I found it comforting to read about the experiences of others. I wrote about our experience here, and referenced a thread with @LifeofRubie ’s experience, and @Rits added her experience too. There’s some good info with several others commenting.

Holter Test

We did our first holter on Kaiser and although it only collected 11 hrs of data due to device issues, we asked them to provide a report anyway. Many thanks to @LifeofRubie for her thread (Holter Test Results) which I read and reread repeatedly to figure out whether our results were ok and they...

doberman-chat.com

 

[Rits]

That's great that you are being proactive about his health. Everyone should echo and holter their Dobermans starting at 2! Being proactive will help us catch this disease and can potentially give our dobermans much longer to live with medication. Plus those that are breeding can catch anything before being bred.

It sounds like your cardiologist is very knowledgeable about the breed, because it is true that the Dobermans normal heart is not normal for other breeds, so I would trust their expertise.

The interesting thing about the heart is that you can have a clear echo and not a clear holter. That's why it's important to test both, start young and then test yearly.

Sending good vibes that his holter looks good and his heart remains steady and strong!

 

[Sage024]

It is great that you are getting this done for your handsome beast! We had this done for Kaiser so I understand the fear and nervousness around it.

I found it comforting to read about the experiences of others. I wrote about our experience here, and referenced a thread with @LifeofRubie ’s experience, and @Rits added her experience too. There’s some good info with several others commenting.

Holter Test

We did our first holter on Kaiser and although it only collected 11 hrs of data due to device issues, we asked them to provide a report anyway. Many thanks to @LifeofRubie for her thread (Holter Test Results) which I read and reread repeatedly to figure out whether our results were ok and they...

doberman-chat.com

Thank you! I hope one day this terrible disease doesn’t affect this breed so much. They’re the most beautiful, intelligent, loving creatures.

 

[BGpa]

Old thread but wondering if OP
@Sage024
Has updated results here since then?

Seems wise to have advance indication of the disease if possible.

 

[Sage024]

Old thread but wondering if OP
@Sage024
Has updated results here since then?

Seems wise to have advance indication of the disease if possible.

Hello! Yes, I made another post with the results, if you would like to check it out and see the results paperwork as well you can find it here: Kanda’s Holter Results + one red flag?

TLDR: Although Kanda's initial echo showed that his heart is on the upper normal end of the charts for size and his contraction is on the lower normal end, his holter monitor came back great. He only had three irregular beats in the full 24hrs (it took us three tries to get a full reading with the monitor) which could all be explained. One was when he was scared at the vet, one was when he was sleeping, one was when he was exercising hard. So based on these results, the vet was pleased and did not diagnose him with anything. So for now, we are content! I will echo and holter him again around the same time next year, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous for that one. All of my fingers are crossed that his heart function and size stay the same <3 he's doing great

 

[Ravenbird]

Yes, I made another post with the results,

Thanks for replying - I was thinking you'd completed a report, but never thought to look for a seperate post.

 

[BGpa]

Thanks, @Sage024, glad to hear all is well!

We are coming up on 14 months so thinking ahead. The consensus seems to be "start testing at age 2 years" so I'm re-reading old threads here...

 

[JanS]

I was just talking to our breeder yesterday and plan to set up an appointment at the U for the end of September, shortly after Elroy turns 2.