{"id":2179,"date":"2025-12-04T11:53:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/?p=2179"},"modified":"2026-05-26T12:40:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:40:49","slug":"dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This one\u2019s for all the gentle giants, dashing Danes, and persnickety pinschers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Owners frequently tell others about their dog\u2019s \u201cbig heart.\u201d But what if that is not a reference to the dog\u2019s lovable personality? Boarded cardiologists at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine explain dilated cardiomyopathy, a situation where a \u201cbig heart\u201d is not a good thing. <em>(article continues below)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-background is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4b2eccd6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e1940ac2b29fd0186a407bf48c5f2c36\">Cardiology Services at Medical District Vet Clinic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-6355c18b68ef2f344e88090dc235a34b\">Since November 2025, boarded cardiologists from the <a href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.illinois.edu\/hospital\/veterinary-teaching-hospital\/veterinary-specialties\/cardiology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital<\/a> have offered appointments on a part-time basis at the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago. Services offered include pre-anesthetic echocardiograms, Holter monitoring, management of stable cardiac disease, rechecks, and more. Please call <a href=\"tel:312-226-2588\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">312-226-2588<\/a> to schedule a cardiology appointment for your pet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-background\"><em>Patients with emergent or critical cardiac disease should seek immediate attention and should not wait to see a cardiologist at the clinic.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) affects the muscles of the heart so that they no longer contract forcefully enough to adequately pump blood. This results in an enlargement of the heart, which in turn further impairs the heart\u2019s ability to contract. As this negative cycle continues, the patient becomes increasingly likely to develop congestive heart failure. If congestive heart failure develops, patients will require daily medication and frequent veterinary appointments to monitor their disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who Gets DCM?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Large breed dogs, such as Doberman pinschers, great Danes, and boxers, that are middle-aged or older are predisposed to developing DCM. It may be advisable to screen dogs for the disease if they have a family history of DCM or a predisposition due to their breed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Factors other than breed may play a role in dogs developing DCM. Over the past few decades, veterinary researchers have published data supporting a link between certain diets and DCM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These diets are often labeled \u201cgrain-free\u201d since they use peas, lentils, other legumes, and potatoes as the main ingredient. It is recommended that dog owners avoid feeding \u201cgrain-free\u201d and other diets containing legumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does DCM Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>DCM is different from other cardiac diseases because it may be present for a long time before the patient shows clinical signs. Even though the patient appears healthy, the disease is present and progressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clinical signs can vary widely between patients with DCM. The first symptoms may be exercise intolerance or lethargy. Patients who have progressed to congestive heart failure can suffer from coughing, collapse, and respiratory distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, in some dogs, sudden collapse and even death could be the first sign that anything is wrong. For this reason, screening for DCM and monitoring for progression of the disease are vitally important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because DCM affects the heart muscle, it can also cause abnormal heart rhythms, called arrhythmias. Arrhythmias originate in the ventricles, the parts of the heart that pump blood to our lungs and throughout our bodies. In DCM, arrhythmias can occur at the same time or even before changes in the shape and musculature of the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Managing DCM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>DCM cannot be cured, but the disease can be managed. The goals of therapy are to improve the heart\u2019s ability to contract, improve clinical signs such as being tired and out of breath, and delay onset of congestive heart failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oral medications are used to improve the efficiency of the heart\u2019s contractions and promote forward flow of blood. Patients with congestive heart failure require additional oral medications to decrease fluid accumulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The long-term prognosis for canine DCM can be extremely variable, with some patients rapidly progressing to congestive heart failure and requiring therapy while others remain stable for years. Once congestive heart failure develops, however, patients usually have a poor prognosis. Doberman pinschers also seem to deteriorate more rapidly than other breeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hope for the Future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Having an animal with dilated cardiomyopathy can be scary, but researchers are working on a better treatment. The cardiology service at the University of Illinois participated in a study that evaluates the use of a drug called rapamycin in patients with DCM. Called the REPAIR study, this multi-clinic clinical trial sought to determine if rapamycin will reduce cardiac size and improve contractility in dogs with DCM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rapamycin treatment has been shown to reverse age-related declines in cardiac function in both laboratory animals and client-owned dogs, without significant adverse effects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This one\u2019s for all the gentle giants, dashing Danes, and persnickety pinschers. Owners frequently tell others about their dog\u2019s \u201cbig heart.\u201d But what if that is not a reference to the dog\u2019s lovable personality? Boarded cardiologists at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine explain dilated cardiomyopathy, a situation where a \u201cbig heart\u201d is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-2179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-for-dogs","category-pet-health-wellness","tag-cardiology"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Boarded cardiologists offer appointments on a part-time basis at the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boarded cardiologists offer appointments on a part-time basis at the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-04T17:53:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-26T17:40:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Medical District Veterinary Clinic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Medical District Veterinary Clinic\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/\",\"name\":\"Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T17:53:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-26T17:40:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2b1265b3d61d4d162a83298c2e027c45\"},\"description\":\"Boarded cardiologists offer appointments on a part-time basis at the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine\",\"description\":\"Our Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2b1265b3d61d4d162a83298c2e027c45\",\"name\":\"Medical District Veterinary Clinic\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dd0c16f939b2706a20072896e3ee3fa81d97420238548f144b5bdf2ff2f47ff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dd0c16f939b2706a20072896e3ee3fa81d97420238548f144b5bdf2ff2f47ff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Medical District Veterinary Clinic\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/author\/illinois\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","description":"Boarded cardiologists offer appointments on a part-time basis at the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","og_description":"Boarded cardiologists offer appointments on a part-time basis at the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/","og_site_name":"University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","article_published_time":"2025-12-04T17:53:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-26T17:40:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Medical District Veterinary Clinic","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Medical District Veterinary Clinic","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/","url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/","name":"Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-04T17:53:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-26T17:40:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2b1265b3d61d4d162a83298c2e027c45"},"description":"Boarded cardiologists offer appointments on a part-time basis at the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pc-dcm-boxer.jpg","width":800,"height":450},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/dilated-cardiomyopathy-the-big-heart-disease\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Big Heart Disease"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/","name":"University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine","description":"Our Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2b1265b3d61d4d162a83298c2e027c45","name":"Medical District Veterinary Clinic","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dd0c16f939b2706a20072896e3ee3fa81d97420238548f144b5bdf2ff2f47ff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dd0c16f939b2706a20072896e3ee3fa81d97420238548f144b5bdf2ff2f47ff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Medical District Veterinary Clinic"},"url":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/author\/illinois\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2179"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2189,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179\/revisions\/2189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}