You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Two separate reports have now found that blood taurine concentrations are low in Newfoundlands with dilated cardiomyopathy

Taurine is an amino acid which is found in blood, and it occurs in particularly high concentrations in certain tissues including the retina and the myocardium. The role of taurine in the development of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)  in cats is well established. More recently low whole blood taurine concentrations have been found in DCM affecting American Cocker Spaniels and Newfoundlands.  Low plasma concentrations may be due to low dietary intake, an inability to absorb taurine properly from the gastrointestinal tract, or excessive losses from the body - for example through biliary excretion. In dogs low taurine concentrations in whole blood are defined as being <200nmol/ml and very low concentrations as <130nmol/ml. 

In a recent European study Newfoundlands with DCM  had significantly lower taurine concentrations in their blood when compared to normal dogs (p=0.02), although low and very low taurine concentrations where also found in normal dogs, dogs with left ventricular enlargement AND dogs with depressed  fractional shortening on echocardiographic examination.

The role of taurine in the development of DCM in Newfoundlands is unclear at this time, but further studies are required and taurine screening should probably be performed in suspect cases.

Reference

J. Dukes-McEwan et al. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Newfoundland Dogs : Association with low whole blood taurine level. Proceedings BSAVA Congress 2001

.Updated October 2013