Congestive cardiomyopathy in a dog associated with pregnancy

A two-year-old, six-week postpartum female dog was presented with acute congestive heart failure for treatment. The patient collapsed and suddenly died. Postmortem examination revealed an enlarged, dilated heart with thin ventricular walls. Histologically, scattered multifocal areas of myocardial degeneration and necrosis with fibrosis were seen in the myocardium. This case of acute cardiomyopathy in a female dog six weeks postpartum is similar to the well-described, postpartum cardiomyopathy in man. The etiology of this case was not ascertained.