Cardiac issues are not the most common health problem in OEBs, but they're the most consequential. A dog with mild hip dysplasia lives a normal life with management. A dog with undiagnosed advanced heart disease can drop dead during a routine walk.
The good news: the conditions of concern in this breed are detectable on a single screening exam. The bad news: most OEBs are never screened.
If you're going to do one specialty health screening on your OEB, make it a cardiac exam. A board-certified veterinary cardiologist's exam runs $200-$400 and catches almost every problem before it becomes life-threatening.
Conditions seen in the breed
- Subaortic stenosis (SAS). A congenital narrowing below the aortic valve. Detectable on a cardiologist exam at any age, often as a heart murmur. Mild cases live normal lives; severe cases need management and may have shortened lifespan.
- Pulmonic stenosis. Narrowing of the pulmonary valve outflow. Similar profile to SAS - detectable, manageable in mild cases, more serious in severe.
- Mitral valve disease. Degeneration of the heart's mitral valve, usually in middle-aged or older dogs. Common across many breeds, including OEBs. Symptoms: cough, exercise intolerance, eventually congestive heart failure. Manageable for years with medication.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The heart muscle weakens and chambers dilate. Less common in OEBs than in some giant breeds, but seen occasionally, particularly in dogs on grain-free diets (an active area of research).
Screening
The two-tier screening process most reputable breeders follow:
- Auscultation - your vet listens with a stethoscope at every annual exam. Catches obvious murmurs. Misses subtle ones, especially in noisy clinic environments.
- Echocardiogram by a board-certified cardiologist. Uses ultrasound to image the heart. Catches everything that matters. The OFA cardiac database accepts results from board-certified specialists at offa.org. Cost: $200-$400.
OBBA does not require cardiac screening for breeding stock. Some breeders do it anyway. Asking about it is a fair question.
Symptoms in your dog
Watch for any of these and call your vet that week:
- Persistent cough, especially at night or after lying down
- Reluctance to exercise, tiring quickly on walks the dog used to enjoy
- Heavy or labored breathing at rest
- Fainting, especially during or right after exertion
- Distended abdomen, weight loss with appetite intact
- Bluish or pale gums
What actually makes a difference long-term
Once a heart condition is diagnosed, the things that matter:
- Routine cardiologist follow-up. Echo every 6-12 months to track progression. Dose medications based on actual heart function, not symptoms.
- Weight control. Every extra pound is extra cardiac workload. Lean dogs live longer with heart disease. Period.
- Pimobendan, ACE inhibitors, diuretics as appropriate. These medications meaningfully extend the asymptomatic phase of mitral valve disease. Modern protocols can give a dog 2-4 extra years of normal-quality life.
- Avoid grain-free diets with high legume content. The DCM-diet link isn't fully resolved, but until it is, stay with mainstream complete-and- balanced foods from established manufacturers.
Grain-free and DCM
The FDA started investigating a link between certain grain-free diets and DCM in 2018. As of 2026, research suggests that high-legume (pea, lentil, chickpea) diets may interfere with taurine metabolism in some dogs, leading to DCM-like changes that partially resolve when the diet changes.
This is not settled science. But until it is, the cautious move for an OEB is to stay with grain-inclusive food from a manufacturer that does feeding trials. There is no evidence that grain-free diets benefit OEBs, and there is plausible mechanism for harm. Feeding guide.