Preliminary Data on Echocardiographic Evaluation and Serum Taurine Concentration in Healthy Dogs of Two Breeds (10 Golden Retrievers and 12 German Shorthaired Pointers) with Different Predispositions to Nutritional Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Pilot Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Concerns about a diet-associated form of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) have recently been highlighted following an increase in cases of DCM in dog breeds not known to have a genetic predisposition for this syndrome, such as Golden Retrievers. One hypothesis is that this form of DCM might be associated with a low concentration of taurine. Furthermore, in human medicine it has been demonstrated that a low vitamin D concentration may induce a thinning of cardiomyocytes and the onset of congestive heart failure. Because taurine is involved in the digestion and absorption of fat and liposoluble vitamins, including vitamin D, the aim of this pilot study was to compare the serum levels of taurine and vitamin D and to compare echocardiographic variables in healthy dogs of two breeds, Golden Retrievers (GRs) and German Shorthaired Pointers (GSPs), with different predispositions to nutritional DCM. The preliminary findings from this small pilot study showed that GRs may present lower levels of serum taurine and more altered echocardiographic variables than GSPs. ABSTRACT: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common myocardial disorder in dogs, and it is primarily considered to be an inherited or genetic disease with a higher prevalence in specific breeds such as Doberman Pinschers and Great Danes. Recently, several publications have reported concerns about cases of DCM in unusual breeds (Golden Retrievers—GRs) and associated them with specific diets (grain-free, high in pulses or potatoes, or low in taurine and amino acid precursors). Because taurine is involved in the digestion and absorption of fat and liposoluble vitamins, including vitamin D, the aims of this pilot study were: (1) to compare serum taurine and serum vitamin D (both implicated in cardiac function and absorbed from food) between healthy GRs and German Shorthaired Pointers (GSPs), breeds with different predispositions to nutritional DCM; (2) to highlight the differences between the echocardiographic variables in the two breeds; and (3) to evaluate the associations between the serum taurine and vitamin D concentrations and the echocardiographic features. Ten Golden Retrievers and twelve German Shorthaired Pointers were enrolled for complete hematobiochemical analyses, cardiac examinations, and serum taurine and vitamin D evaluations. The serum taurine concentrations were significantly lower in the GR dogs than in GSPs. All GRs were clinically healthy, but some echocardiographic variables, such as the sphericity index (related to left ventricle dilatation) as well as the end-systolic volume index and fractional shortening (both related to left ventricle systolic function), were different from the published reference ranges.