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Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a hereditary heart muscle disease in Dobermanns. Unfortunately, DCM is often only discovered at a late stage, when the dog is seriously ill and there are offspring with the same hereditary disease. Veterinary cardiologist Alma Hulsman is conducting research within the ELECTRODE research project into a new screening method that predicts the development of DCM at a young age. Vice-chair of the Dutch Dobermann Club Anja Kloth is participating in the research with her Dobermann Pilot.

One evening, after a birthday party, Kloth came home and let her dogs out through the back door. “One of the Dobermanns came back fairly quickly, but we didn't see the other one, even after calling repeatedly. It was already getting dark, so at one point we started looking for him with a flashlight.” Kloth found her brown male dog lying lifeless on a path. “We tried to revive him, but our help came too late.” The vet's examination revealed that the dog had died of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Sudden death

In DCM, the heart does not pump blood around the body as effectively and becomes enlarged as a result. Dogs can suffer from fatigue, shortness of breath, and fainting spells. Serious complications can also occur, such as cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, or even, as in Kloth's dog, sudden death. Approximately half of all Dobermanns develop DCM during their lifetime and, although current treatment with medication slightly increases survival time and quality of life, the prognosis is not very favorable.

Current screening method DCM

“The current screening method consists of two tests: echocardiography and a Holter ECG (24-hour heart recording). This allows a veterinarian or cardiologist to determine whether a Dobermann has DCM,” says Hulsman. “These tests must be performed every year, and an additional disadvantage is that not every veterinarian is qualified to perform the tests or has all the necessary facilities in-house.”

The ELECTRODE research project uses new ultrasound techniques to examine the heart, comparing these images with MRI images that provide a very accurate picture of the heart. This teaches researchers what early changes in heart tissue look like on an advanced ultrasound. In addition, the researchers are looking for signaling substances (biomarkers) in the blood that provide information about these early changes.

The aim of the research is to be able to detect DCM earlier in Dobermanns. Researchers hope to find biomarkers in the dogs' blood that indicate the development of DCM at an early stage. They then aim to develop a blood test that veterinarians can use to easily measure the biomarkers in the blood of Dobermanns. By recognizing DCM at an earlier stage, it will be possible to help breeders prevent breeding with sick animals.

I think it's incredibly important to keep the breed healthy.

Participating in the study

Kloth: “I didn't hesitate for a moment to participate in the study with Pilot. I think it's incredibly important that the breed is healthy.” For the study, Kloth drives Pilot from the southernmost tip of Limburg, Valkenburg aan de Geul, to the ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� Animal Hospital in Utrecht. During the study, in addition to the current screening method, blood samples are taken and an MRI scan is performed.

Hulsman: “The analysis of the ultrasound and MRI images should reveal which dogs develop DCM. We will then search for substances in the blood that correspond to the images.” If the researchers find these substances, imaging will no longer be necessary in the future. “A nice bonus would be that we could develop something to treat the disease more effectively, because we would have a better understanding of how it develops. But that's a topic for a follow-up study.”

Speckle tracking echocardiography

What makes the research particularly exciting for researcher Hulsman is the use of an advanced 3D ultrasound device with software for speckle tracking echocardiography: a smart way to use ultrasound to see how well the heart muscle is moving. It helps to detect heart disease, even when regular ultrasounds do not yet show any problems. “I hope to learn more about this technique during this research, so that we can use it more often in the future.”

It would, of course, be wonderful if the research ultimately yielded results in human medicine as well.

Collaboration between Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� and UMCU

The ELECTRODE research project is a joint initiative of a team of researchers from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU). This is because DCM affects not only Dobermanns, but also humans. Hulsman: “For me as a veterinarian, it's about the health and welfare of animals, but it would of course be wonderful if the research also yielded results in human medicine.”

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