The purpose of the study was to evaluate resting heart rate variability (HRV) as a simple noninvasive screening test for early autonomic derangement, heralding the development of occult dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Time and frequency domain HRV parameters were evaluated in 32 healthy Doberman pinschers, as potential predictors of the development of occult DCM within the following year and correlated with plasma catecholamines, markers of sympathoexcitation. Ten Dobermans with occult DCM and 8 Dobermans with congestive heart failure (CHF) were positive controls. Seven of the 32 "healthy" dogs developed occult DCM over the course of the study. None of the HRV parameters were associated with the development of occcult DCM based on univariate logistic regression. In dogs who developed occult DCM, plasma norepinephrine (NE) was inversely correlated with % fractal power (r = -0.81, P = 0.05). In dogs with occult DCM (positive controls), plasma NE was inversely correlated with fractal power (r = -0.81, r = 0.03), total power (r = -0.08, P = 0.03), high frequency power (r = -0.75, P = 0.05) and the standard deviation of the RR (r = -0.83, P = 0.02). The great inherent variability of the test may have limited our ability to discriminate between physiologic and pathophysiologic data, rendering this methodology inadequate as a screening test for early occult DCM. However, the negative correlations of NE with various forms of spectral power in dogs with occult DCM suggests that early in the natural history of DCM, there is parasympathetic withdrawal. A reduction in the nonharmonic, fractal component may be the first recognizable abnormality in the power spectrum of dogs who will develop DCM.