We found that Coco had a very high blood pressure. The heart had been working very hard to push blood against the high blood pressure, and the muscle had grown massively in response, just as any muscle in training does. Unfortunately when this happens to the heart it can interfere with its function and this had happened to Coco. His heart had become stiff and unable to act properly as a pump. Fluid was being retained in his lungs making him breathless.

He was given treatment to reduce  blood pressure and to remove the retained fluid, and the effects were dramatic. Within days he returned to his playful self and started eating again without the apparent discomfort. An examination here showed that the blood pressure had returned to normal and his heart function had improved. We will continue to monitor him; hopefully the heart muscle may return to a more normal state now that it is not under such pressure.

It is interesting that having a high blood pressure affected Coco’s behaviour and eating habits. Was it giving him headaches as it does in people?

We are looking for cats with heart failure to take part in a clinical field trial of the drug, to be given alongside routinely used medication for congestive failure. All investigations will be free of charge, as will monitoring and treatment of all enrolled cats.

The rhythm of her heart had settled had settled by the time we saw her and her heart sounded normal. An ECG showed one or two abnormal beats however, a worrying sign in a Dobermann.

Echocardiography showed a few very subtle abnormalities consistent with very early heart muscle disease (dilated cardiomyopathy).

A Holter monitor was attached to allow interpretation of her ECG for 24 hours (see picture of Tamzin wearing it). This showed that, although most of the time her heart rhythm was totally normal, occasionally a very fast and potentially life-threatening rhythm, ventricular tachycardia was shown.

Tazmin was given anti-arrhythmic drugs to maintain the normal rhythm. Further Holter monitoring was performed to assess the effects of treatment, and the abnormal rhythm was not adequately controlled until she was given two drugs together. It can be difficult to control abnormal rhythms, and frequently an empirical approach to treatment is adopted, supported by  knowledge of the theory of cardiac electro-physiology. Her last Holter monitoring showed normal rhythm for 24 hours with only one or two isolated abnormal beats, and she continues to take the two medications.

There have been no more episodes of weakness or excessively fast heart rhythms and Tazmin, blissfully unaware that she has a heart disease, is as bright and active as ever. She continues to be monitored because dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease that is all too prevalent in Dobermanns, is a progressive one and she needs to be checked regularly for signs of deterioration so that further appropriate treatments can be prescribed as they become necessary.