My GSD's mother died of a heart attack quite young is my dog at risk

[muso]

I found out that sadly my dog's mother died prematurely of a Heart Attack (I think she was about 4 years old)

She was a beautiful dog and many of her features (colour/shape etc) appear to have been passed down to our male GSD from her litter.

Our boy is now almost 7 months old and a healthy happy dog but I am concerned that he may be at risk of premature heart attack, what measures can I take to help prevent this (apart from the obvious diet/exercise/Heartworm prevention and vaccinations/vet care thing etc)?

My previous GSD male lived more than 12 years and the thought of our current pup dying before his time breaks our hearts....he is just lovely....such personality and gorgeous looking to

Could heart problems with the mother be genetic or just an isolated incident? Albeit a tragic one

Any advice would be much appreciated....and happy new year everyone

[carmspack]

get a physical to make sure there are no irregularities.
include co-enzyme Q in the diet , feed omega 3 essential fatty acid

[muso]

Originally Posted by carmspack

get a physical to make sure there are no irregularities.
include co-enzyme Q in the diet , feed omega 3 essential fatty acid

Thanks, I will get a physical at the next Vet visit, how do I include the co-enzyme Q and omega 3 in his diet...what pet food has this in it?
At the moment he is on pro plan adult large breed dry food and chicken mince and/or chicken necks as well as bones to chew for his teeth etc

[Loneforce]

Make sure they do a full EKG on your dog and all the blood tests. If your really worried have them put a 24hr monitor on it. The monitor shows what the heart does during everything.

[Magwart]

I wonder what caused the heart attack in so young a dog? Dilated cardio myelopahthy?

If the line is a carrier of DCM, would there be any sign of it in a 7 mo. pup? I honestly don't know--ask your vet about his.

OTOH, I've read that DCM isn't always hereditary---it can appear in a dog who suffered damage from (but survived) heartworms or distemper. Maybe ask the breeder about whether the dam suffered these things?
Causes of Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy - VetInfo

(I know only a little about DCM--I've read a bit only because I lost a doberman many years ago at a young age very suddenly, and subsequently learned too many of them carry this gene.)

[muso]

Originally Posted by Magwart

I wonder what caused the heart attack in so young a dog? Dilated cardio myelopahthy?

If the line is a carrier of DCM, would there be any sign of it in a 7 mo. pup? I honestly don't know--ask your vet about his.

OTOH, I've read that DCM isn't always hereditary---it can appear in a dog who suffered damage from (but survived) heartworms or distemper. Maybe ask the breeder about whether the dam suffered these things?
Causes of Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy - VetInfo

(I know only a little about DCM--I've read a bit only because I lost a doberman many years ago at a young age very suddenly, and subsequently learned too many of them carry this gene.)

I doubt the mother would have had distemper or heartworm the Kennel where I got him from is one of the best, but I will arrange a vet check and find out about DCM, thanks for your advice

[huntergreen]

muso i won't venture a guess as to what caused a young dog to pass. i would ask the breeder if they know what caused the heart problem. what you need to ask your self is, do you really want to know if your pup has an untreatable problem. i know i wouldn't.

[muso]

Originally Posted by huntergreen

muso i won't venture a guess as to what caused a young dog to pass. i would ask the breeder if they know what caused the heart problem. what you need to ask your self is, do you really want to know if your pup has an untreatable problem. i know i wouldn't.

Yes I will ask the breeder what caused the early heart attack, cheers