TABLE 1.
Baseline comparison of signalment, clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic variables for dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy eating nontraditional or traditional diets. Data are presented as number, mean ± SD, median (range), or number (percentage). P values are for comparison of nontraditional vs traditional groups, with significant P values in bold
| Variable | Nontraditional diet (n = 51) | Traditional diet (n = 9) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 7.0 ± 2.7 | 8.9 ± 2.4 | .06 |
| Sex | .07 | ||
| Male | 27 (20 castrated) | 8 (5 castrated) | |
| Female | 24 (22 spayed) | 1 (1 spayed) | |
| Female (% of total) | 47% | 11% | |
| Breed | .98 | ||
| Doberman Pinscher | 11 (22%) | 2 (22%) | |
| Pit Bull | 6 (12%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Boxer | 5 (10%) | 1 (11%) | |
| Golden Retriever | 5 (10%) | 1 (11%) | |
| Great Dane | 4 (8%) | 1 (11%) | |
| Mixed breed | 4 (8%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Other | 16 (31%) | 4 (44%) | |
| DNA positive | 8/15 (53%) a | 2/3 (67%) | 1.00 |
| Body weight (kg) | 33.8 ± 14.6 | 44.8 ± 15.6 | .04 |
| Body condition score | 5.1 ± 1.3 | 4.9 ± 1.8 | .74 |
| Muscle condition score | .11 | ||
| Normal | 30 (59%) | 4 (44%) | |
| Mild muscle loss | 16 (31%) | 2 (22%) | |
| Moderate muscle loss | 4 (8%) | 1 (11%) | |
| Severe muscle loss | 1 (2%) | 2 (22%) | |
| Cardiac murmur intensity | 2 (0‐5) | 2 (0‐5) | .68 |
| Cardiac arrhythmia | |||
| Any arrhythmia | 25 (49%) | 6 (67%) | .47 |
| Supraventricular | 8 (16%) | 4 (44%) | .07 |
| Ventricular | 20 (39%) | 3 (33%) | 1.00 |
| Congestive heart failure | 39 (77%) | 7 (78%) | 1.00 |
| NT‐proBNP (pmol/L) | 4778 (461‐10 000) | 7997 (2811‐10 000) | .14 |
| hs‐cTnI (ng/mL) | 0.670 (0.024‐5.950) | 0.892 (0.167‐11.299) | .16 |
| Magnesium (mEq/L) | 2.0 ± 0.2 | 1.8 ± 0.3 | .01 |
| Duration eating diet (months) | 48 (6‐156) | 72 (12‐132) | .09 |
| Diet pulse score | 66 (0‐125) | 0 (0‐12) | <.001 |
| Diet pulse/potato score | 84 (23‐125) | 0 (0‐12) | <.001 |
| Plasma taurine (nmol/mL) | 145 (45‐411) | 115 (53‐202) | .07 |
| Plasma taurine categories | .28 | ||
| Low (<40 nmol/mL) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Borderline (40‐59 nmol/mL) | 3 (6%) | 1 (11%) | |
| Normal (60‐120 nmol/mL) | 14 (28%) | 5 (56%) | |
| High (>120 nmol/mL) | 28 (55%) | 3 (33%) | |
| Whole blood taurine (nmol/mL) | 336 (192‐618) | 347 (240‐460) | .87 |
| Whole blood taurine categories | 1.00 | ||
| Low (<150 nmol/mL) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Borderline (150‐199 nmol/mL) | 3 (6%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Normal (200‐350 nmol/mL) | 26 (51%) | 5 (56%) | |
| High (>350 nmol/mL) | 21 (41%) | 4 (44%) | |
| Echocardiography | |||
| M‐mode | |||
| Fractional shortening (%) | 14.12 ± 5.22 | 17.85 ± 6.82 | .06 |
| LVIDdN | 2.25 ± 0.39 | 2.05 ± 0.19 | .03 |
| LVIDsN | 1.80 ± 0.34 | 1.56 ± 0.21 | .04 |
| 2D | |||
| Left atrium : aorta | 2.17 ± 0.57 | 2.21 ± 0.58 | .83 |
| Sphericity index | 1.34 ± 0.21 | 1.30 ± 0.16 | .56 |
Abbreviations: 2D, 2‐dimensional; FS, fractional shortening; hs‐cTnI, high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin I; LA : Ao, ratio of the left atrial to aortic diameters (2‐dimensional); LVIDdN, normalized left ventricular internal diameter in diastole; LVIDsN, normalized left ventricular internal diameter in systole; NT‐proBNP, N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide.
DNA tested only in Doberman Pinschers and Boxers. DNA was not tested in 1 Doberman Pinscher in the nontraditional group.