Holter Test

[Kaiser2016]

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 are very comparable Aside from the fact that Kaiser had half the heartbeats but that is because he did HALF the time lol, I gave myself a moment of panic there

We rented the device through DPC of Alberta and met up with one of their members who hooked him up which was great for a first-time experience. We'll probably retest again over the summer when we can also arrange an echo.

K handled the vest fine (it's like a thundershirt and fit super snug with strong velcro), just one incident of him trying to mouth it but a stern 'leave it' solved that. He spent some time in the sun. We went for an evening walk where he got all frothy as usual. He slept fine with it overnight as well. I checked the device often (green dots on the report) during the day which made it super annoying when it crapped out just before bedtime when I thought everything was going so well. The blue mark is when he was sleeping.

 

[Gpcoguy]

At what age should you start getting echo/ holter test done? My vet said 4

 

[Kaiser2016]

At what age should you start getting echo/ holter test done? My vet said 4

The recommended age nowadays is 2 so we’re a few years late to the game, but better late than never

 

[Rits]

At what age should you start getting echo/ holter test done? My vet said 4

Start at 2 to get a baseline then every year.

@Kaiser2016 Yay! Makes me happy to see more Dobe owners get theirs done to keep an eye on their heart. Hopefully one day we have this thing beat. The froth string, he wears it so well

 

[GennyB]

At what age should you start getting echo/ holter test done? My vet said 4

I start my dogs at 2 per my Cardiologist with an annual holter/echo. Once they turn 5 it becomes a biannual thing.

A holter is a pretty simple thing that can be done pretty reasonably. There are companies, breeders and doberman clubs that will rent/loan the equipment. I believe every dobe owner should test their dog. This is how we find answers. The problem is there is just not enough information to lead us to answers. The numbers for DCM are going up! It's estimated in some circles that 58 percent of all Dobies will be diagnosed. That is simply frightening and unacceptable!

 

[LifeofRubie]

That's so great that you have that resource and help to rent and set up the holter! Stinks about it not working the full 24 hours but something is better than nothing! And you're right, it seems like it would be cumbersome for them to wear, but once their WTF moment is over, it seems like it's quickly forgotten about

 

[Kaiser2016]

it seems like it would be cumbersome for them to wear

This was definitely a concern because of all the wires, but the setup is really very good and designed to withstand dog interference. After it crapped out, I tried to troubleshoot it myself and was able to handle all the wires and rewrap his vest so it will be less daunting to do the next time. Even the initial setup seemed like a breeze when the lady did it (took her just a few minutes) all while having a whole conversation with us. There is even a handy video online from Doberman Diversity Project, so I had studied that before I found out they would hook him up for us.

Link to the video:

A holter is a pretty simple thing that can be done pretty reasonably. There are companies, breeders and doberman clubs that will rent/loan the equipment.

Yes! We checked with our vet first, then the universities, but the Doberman club came through.

 

[JanS]

I'm glad things came out okay even though it's a bummer that it stopped working half way through.

I'm hoping to get Phoebe done at around 2 myself. Right now our Sleep number bed monitors all of the heart rate stats for both sides of the bed so I can see hers every day, until I come to bed and confuse the bed. LOL

 

[strykerdobe]

At what age should you start getting echo/ holter test done? My vet said 4

When we traveled to North Carolina State Vet School with Stryker. The Cardio Vet mentioned they recommend with Dobermans start testing at 2yrs old with yearly 24Holter and Echo up until 5yrs old. Starting at 5yrs Holter every 6mo. and Echo every year.
We just had Echo's done on Zara who will be 6yrs on March 28 (started her at 2yrs old) and her son Arson who is 2yrs 8mo (this was his second one). Both had Normal Echo's. Now doing a 48hr Holter on Zara and 24hr on Arson.

 

[Rits]

Now doing a 48hr Holter on Zara

What is the reasoning or decision to do 48 hour?

 

[strykerdobe]

What is the reasoning or decision to do 48 hour?

Just she is getting older and with the Alba DR400 you can do up to 14 days.
Her last Holter back in Nov. 2021 Zara had less than 10 Single PVC's.

Arsons back in Nov. 2021 we did a 48hr Holter and he had 0 PVC's.

And now for OFA Cardio they want a Holter within 3mo now of the Echo.

With our boy Yago we would do 48hr Holter's because he had DCM.

 

[Rits]

Just she is getting older and with the Alba DR400 you can do up to 14 days.
Her last Holter back in Nov. 2021 Zara had less than 10 Single PVC's.

Arsons back in Nov. 2021 we did a 48hr Holter and he had 0 PVC's.

And now for OFA Cardio they want a Holter within 3mo now of the Echo.

With our boy Yago we would do 48hr Holter's because he had DCM.

Thank you much for your detailed answer. Trying to learn all I can.

 

[Kaiser2016]

And now for OFA Cardio they want a Holter within 3mo now of the Echo.

With this in mind, Kaiser had his Echo today. We were on a wait list and didn’t expect to get through, but a recent heavy snowfall worked in our favor. Kaiser’s OFA cardio certificate = Normal

 

[Kaiser2016]

We started the day with off leash fun to help him relax. Lol, as if he would relax.


Both man and beast were nervous about the test. But they handled it well

 

[Rits]

Yay!

 

[Two Dobes]

Always love to hear good heart news!

 

[Rits]

Ripley had her echo done, normal and healthy heart! Today she is having her holter done. She was a good sport about us hooking her up. 5 min later shes enjoying a good morning soak in the sun.

 

[Rits]

Shes doing good so far. Everything is staying on even after her afternoon trot condition work around the property, some weaves and sprinting for fetch! Her breeder includes a muzzle in the kit because Ripleys dad likes to pull off his vest lol. So all week we had been getting her used to the muzzle so when Im outside the house she can wear it without us needing to worry about the equipment. You can tell shes not thrilled about the muzzle but tolerant. She tried to play with her ball with it on too

Btw, does anyone know if ecollars are bad when wearing their holter? I put hers on but left the collars power off just in case actually tapping her with it would be an issue.



My DIY weaves Just used PVC we had laying around. Need to get a few more but she weaves just the same!

 

[JanS]

I see that there are some available for a discounted price.

Alba Med​

rSedtoopsna 9al2 :t1M5m eAhstr4duY8g8205ia603ma5yce39 ·
Hey everyone. We just took in 15 nice DR200R Holters. These range in age from 1 to 6 years old. We are looking to sell them all today. I am making a special coupon valid until Sunday night for $100 off. The usual price is $995, and you will pay $895 with these coupons. We are going to sell them in age order. The first person who orders one will get the newest unit, and so on. We will clean these up, test them, and equip them with 3 new chips, new card reader and 5 sample kits and all instructions. The only other thing you will need to have is a vest. Please use coupon code FACEBOOKDOBES if you have Dobes, FACEBOOKBOXERS if you have Boxers, FACEBOOKOTHERS if you are a Vet or have a different breed. For any sales questions, please contact Sheila McAvoy for Boxers and Dawn D Danner for Dobes and any other Breeds. Thanks!

I see I can also rent one from DRM (Doberman Rescue Minnesota) for $50 including the vest so that might be the route we go.

 

[JanS]

does anyone know if ecollars are bad when wearing their holter?

I'm guessing that could have some effect so I'd stay on the safe side too.