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.

Parker, a charming English Bulldog, was referred to us for breathing difficulties. He had recently been acquired, having had several previous homes even though he was a relatively young dog. His new owners found that he had very poor exercise tolerance, being able to go for only very short walks before becoming too tired to go on. He made a loud noise when breathing, although this was thought to be normal for a dog of his breed, but after a while they realised that during walks this became an awful lot worse.

The loud snoring noise made by his breathing reverberated around our practice the first time he came, even when he was resting, and it was evident that getting air in and out was a real struggle for him.

Parker is a prime example of extreme breeding with the exaggerated top-heavy appearance and over shortened nose with excessive skin folds. His nostrils were small and tended to close as air was sucked into the nasal cavities with each inhalation. He was unable to lie on his side without becoming distressingly breathless.

Examination under general anaesthesia showed that the soft tissues inside his mouth were disproportionate to the bony structures of his very short nose- the outside had been shortened by breeding while the inside remained the size appropriate to a dog with a much longer nose (as Bull Dogs in the Victorian Age had). His soft palate extended into his throat and was actually being sucked into his windpipe with every inhalation, causing a significant blockage of the airway and the loud snoring noise.

The excessive tissue was surgically removed, and his nostrils were also widened to allow air to move freely in and out.

Parker has made a great recovery and is now a different dog, able to run and play, jump on the furniture and generally be naughty and enjoy himself.