Great Dane Volunteers required for ground-breaking research!
The LUPA project is a Europe-wide association of vets and geneticists dedicated to investigating genetic diseases of dogs and people. As part of this project, researchers at the University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital are investigating dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Great Danes and other breeds. This is a disease causing massive enlargement and impaired pumping ability of the heart. Great Danes with the disease will eventually develop heart failure and/or serious heart rhythm disturbances, and will eventually die of the disease. DCM is currently difficult to control in dogs as it is an adult-onset disease that can be inherited. Affected dogs have therefore often already been used for breeding before they are diagnosed.

We are attempting to determine the gene(s) responsible for DCM by comparing the DNA of dogs with DCM to that of dogs without DCM. We are identifying healthy Great Danes by screening and obtaining DNA samples and pedigrees from them. We are also collecting DNA samples and pedigrees from Great Danes already diagnosed with DCM. We aim eventually to develop a genetic test to aid diagnosis from a young age.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is one of the most common heart diseases diagnosed in Great Danes, but we still don’t know enough about this disease in the UK. By participating in our research you will not only get valuable information about your dog’s health, but you will be participating in ground-breaking genetic research, and increasing our knowledge of how this devastating disease affects Danes in the UK.

In order for the study to be successful, we need AT LEAST FIFTY Great Danes to be screened, and an equal number of Danes with DCM. So far we have screened just TWENTY. We know there are still lots of older Danes out there, and we hope to have many more of you take advantage of our FREE screening programme.
Do you have/know someone who has a healthy Great Dane aged 6 or over? If so, we are offering screening FREE OF CHARGE for DCM at the Small Animal Teaching Hospital in Wirral, to include:

1. A full clinical examination
2. A full heart scan (Doppler echocardiogram, Performed without sedation or anaesthetic)
3. A blood sample to screen for other diseases in the older dogs

If you would be interested in offering your dog for inclusion in this study, please contact Hannah Copeland by telephone (0151 795 6100) or email (hmc79@liverpool.ac.uk) or at the address below for more details.