Ventricular Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Dogs: Seeking Collaboration from VCS members
• Have you diagnosed malignant ventricular arrhythmias in young dogs? • Is your patient over 3 months old but less than 4 years old?
• Have you excluded known structural or functional cardiac disease or systemic disease which may be associated with the arrhythmia?
• Is it possible that your case may have a channelopathy or other conduction disorder?
• If yes to all of the above, and if you and the owner of the dog are happy to participate in a research study, please consider whether you are able to share information.
This study is in two parts, looking at A. Leonbergers but also B. Other young dogs (any breed or cross-breed) – who are >3 months and <4 years old. Professor Hannes Lohi and Dr Maria Wiberg, both from the University of Helsinki, have identified an auto-antibody associated with juvenile arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in Leonbergers. This is similar to that reported in Brugada syndrome in humans.
We propose active screening of Leonbergers of >3 months <4 months old for presence of this autoantibody, and to prospectively screen any (echocardiography / 24-hour Holter examination) to identify or exclude arrhythmia at the time of the examination (likely serial examination required). In addition, it is important to exclude structural or functional cardiac disease which may result in primary arrhythmias.
We are also keen to assess for presence of this auto-antibody in a young dog (>3 months <4 years of age) in which an arrhythmia has been identified but structural or functional cardiac disease has been excluded. These can be of any breed or cross-breed. Each cardiologist tends to see very few of these each year, but by combining UK cases with your help, we have a more powerful study. Even if your patient suffered a cardiac death and so a serum sample is not possible, it is useful to collate the breeds, ages and presentations these cases show in the UK.
I am happy to collate all this information and to share it at a future VCS meeting in an anonymised form.
More information about the study is available from Jo Dukes-McEwan (and possible future links on the VCS website).
If you have a suitable case, please complete the LEONBERGER FEEDBACK FORM or the YOUNG DOG FEEDBACK FORM.
Feel also free to contact Jo Dukes-McEwan for further information: J.Dukes-McEwan@liverpool.ac.uk or 0151 795 6100 (University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital reception – I will call you back).