Canine cardiomyopathy

Canine cardiomyopathy can be defined as an intrinsic abnormality of the myocardium independent of any congenital or acquired cardiac diseases that lead to volume or pressure overload. Canine cardiomyopathy is one of the most common acquired heart diseases in dogs. Dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy are among the most prevalent, although other types of cardiomyopathies are reported, including atrioventricular myopathy, golden retriever muscular dystrophy (analogous to Duchenne muscular dystrophy in human medicine), myocarditis, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.