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by DebiSue on 15 July 2009 - 15:07
How sad, how tragic! I am so very sorry for your loss. I don't know what I would do if it happened to me. It hurts even to think such a thing could happen to those we love, canine or human. Hang in there and know many here feel your pain.
Deb
Deb
by Okie Amazon on 15 July 2009 - 16:07
So sorry to hear of your loss.
by marjorie on 15 July 2009 - 20:07
I am so sorry for your loss. German Shepherds are known to be one of the breeds at great risk for this condition. It is thought to be genetic. The dogs pass on in their sleep, due to arrythmia. In fact, it has been studied in relation to SIDS.
INHERITED SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH IN
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS
GSD Helpline
Ventricular arrhythmia
Irregularities in the rhythm of contraction of the ventricles of the heart are some of the commonest cardiac arrhythmias seen in dogs. In most cases there is either a structural abnormality within the heart such as the change in cardiac muscle structure which occurs in cardiomyopathy, or there is a systemic problem affecting the heart's performance (e.g. septicaemia).
In North America a syndrome of inherited sudden cardiac arrest and death has been reported to occur in German Shepherd Dogs.
Age of onset
The irregular ventricular heart rhythm is usually detected during routine physical examination in young dogs 4-12 months of age.
Sex
Males and females are both equally likely to be affected.
History
There is usually no history of feinting or exercise intolerance. Most dogs are outwardly normal before they die suddenly.
Death most often occurs between 4-8 months of age, and often occurs during sleep or during a resting period after exercise.
ECG abnormalities
ECG and Holter monitoring findings vary from one dog to another. A few supraventricular premature complexes, frequent ventricular bigeminy, ventricular couplets and periods of ventricular tachycardia have all been reported.
Inheritance
Genetic inheritance has been confirmed from analyses of pedigrees, but the precise mechanism has not been confirmed.
Postmortem examination
Routine post-mortem examination has failed to confirm the final cause of death or the underlying cause. It is assumed that the dogs die eventually from ventricular fibrillation.
Treatment
50% of the dogs with increased ventricular contraction rate (tachycardia) will die suddenly within the first year of life.
Intravenous antiarrhythmic drugs (lidocaine and procainamide) are effective drugs for controlling arrhythmias and are recommended in these dogs, but more studies need to be performed.
Breeding
Breeding from lines of affected dogs is not recommended.
Here is a link to an article that is pretty old, but you can contact Cornell to see if they have done any more follow ups on this condition.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March96/sids.hrs.html
Marjorie
Executive Director: New Beginnings Shepherd Rescue www.newbeginningsrescue.com 501 C3
OUR BUILDING PROJECT PHOTOS
http://gsd911.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=196
http://www.gsdbbr.org The German Shepherd Dog Breed Betterment Registry (including frozen/chilled semen database) BE PROACTIVE!
http://mzjf.com --> The Degenerative Myelopathy Support Group
INHERITED SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH IN
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS
GSD Helpline
Ventricular arrhythmia
Irregularities in the rhythm of contraction of the ventricles of the heart are some of the commonest cardiac arrhythmias seen in dogs. In most cases there is either a structural abnormality within the heart such as the change in cardiac muscle structure which occurs in cardiomyopathy, or there is a systemic problem affecting the heart's performance (e.g. septicaemia).
In North America a syndrome of inherited sudden cardiac arrest and death has been reported to occur in German Shepherd Dogs.
Age of onset
The irregular ventricular heart rhythm is usually detected during routine physical examination in young dogs 4-12 months of age.
Sex
Males and females are both equally likely to be affected.
History
There is usually no history of feinting or exercise intolerance. Most dogs are outwardly normal before they die suddenly.
Death most often occurs between 4-8 months of age, and often occurs during sleep or during a resting period after exercise.
ECG abnormalities
ECG and Holter monitoring findings vary from one dog to another. A few supraventricular premature complexes, frequent ventricular bigeminy, ventricular couplets and periods of ventricular tachycardia have all been reported.
Inheritance
Genetic inheritance has been confirmed from analyses of pedigrees, but the precise mechanism has not been confirmed.
Postmortem examination
Routine post-mortem examination has failed to confirm the final cause of death or the underlying cause. It is assumed that the dogs die eventually from ventricular fibrillation.
Treatment
50% of the dogs with increased ventricular contraction rate (tachycardia) will die suddenly within the first year of life.
Intravenous antiarrhythmic drugs (lidocaine and procainamide) are effective drugs for controlling arrhythmias and are recommended in these dogs, but more studies need to be performed.
Breeding
Breeding from lines of affected dogs is not recommended.
Here is a link to an article that is pretty old, but you can contact Cornell to see if they have done any more follow ups on this condition.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March96/sids.hrs.html
Marjorie
Executive Director: New Beginnings Shepherd Rescue www.newbeginningsrescue.com 501 C3
OUR BUILDING PROJECT PHOTOS
http://gsd911.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=196
http://www.gsdbbr.org The German Shepherd Dog Breed Betterment Registry (including frozen/chilled semen database) BE PROACTIVE!
http://mzjf.com --> The Degenerative Myelopathy Support Group
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