Introduction
DCM is characterised by ventricular chamber enlargement and systolic dysfunction which often leads to congestive heart failure [1]. The aetiology of DCM is complex. Genetic factors, myocardial ischemia, hypertension, toxins, infections and metabolic defects have been implicated [2].
DCM is the most common specific heart disease diagnosis within the Swedish insured canine population, following the more general diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, accounting for 10% of the cardiac diagnoses [1]. Prevention of disease requires a thorough understanding of the underlying causes of disease. Where the causes of disease are understood it can allow for modifications in diet, behaviour, and/or preventative medicine to be prescribed, or risk-reducing surgery to be undertaken where appropriate [3-5]. The underlying causes of non-communicable diseases are varied, with a wide range of environmental and genetic factors contributing to disease [6-11]. In most cases a combination of interacting factors contribute to disease risk, initiation, and progression [12-15].2.
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