"This disease condition is a frequent cause of disability and premature death in dogs. Breed-to-breed differences in ages at onset, survival times, inheritance patterns, and myocardial histopathology, are indicative of major genetic contributions... Although DCM has probably occurred in most if not all dog breeds, several reports have focused on the DCM-associated epidemiology, clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and histopathology in certain breeds with a high prevalence of the disease including Boxer, Doberman Pinscher, Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Newfoundland, and Portuguese Water Dog. The ages at onset of clinical signs ranged from 0.9 to 2.9 years. The familial relationships between affected dogs was consistent with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Here we report that a whole genome sequence from one of the affected Standard Schnauzers contained a rare an RBM20 deletion and frameshift that is the apparent cause of DCM in the breed." [From Gilliam et al. 2016]