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Dilated cardiomyopathy in an American Cocker Spaniel with taurine deficiency
Author(s) -
GAVAGHAN BJ,
KITTLESON MD
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1997.tb11253.x
Subject(s) - medicine , furosemide , taurine , dilated cardiomyopathy , digoxin , dobutamine , cardiomyopathy , cardiology , enalapril , heart failure , hemodynamics , biology , biochemistry , amino acid , blood pressure , angiotensin converting enzyme
An American Cocker Spaniel with low plasma taurine concentration (< 2 nmol/mL) was presented with dyspnoea associated with pulmonary oedema and a left ventricular shortening fraction of 9%. Emergency therapy with furosemide, dobutamine, nitroglycerine and oxygen supplementation led to a good response. Chronic therapy was started with enalapril, furosemide, digoxin and taurine. Improvement in all echocardiographic indices were noted over a 22 week follow‐up, most notably an increase in left ventricular shorteningfraction to 20%, a decrease of E‐point septal separation from 14 mm to 7 mm and marked left ventricular remodelling. This degree of improvement in myocardial function may represent a direct link between dilated cardiomyopathy in the American Cocker Spaniel andplasma taurine deficiency. Alternatively, this response may reflect a breed‐related cardiomyopathy with a natural history and therapeutic response not commonly seen in the morecommon large breed cardiomyopathy presentations.