Disease Description: Familial kidney disease is the term used when it is not understood how the disease is inherited, but the occurrence is more frequent in related dogs than would be expected.

Inherit Mode: -

Disease Symptom: The signs of kidney failure are the same in young animals as in older dogs. One of the earliest signs you may notice is that your dog drinks more and urinates more. (Sometimes in young pups, owners may not recognize excessive urination as such, but think it is due to the dog being slow to housetrain.) As more and more kidney function is lost, other signs develop including poor appetite, loss of weight, lethargy, vomiting, and pale gums due to anemia. Although the progression may be slowed by treatment, kidney failure is ultimately fatal. For most of these disorders, dogs show signs of kidney dysfunction before 1 year of age, and their kidneys fail before 5 years of age. In pups affected at a very young age (less than 5 or 6 months), growth may be noticeably stunted. Polycystic kidney disease inbull terriersis an exception. Affected animals often show no signs until 2 years of age or more, and may not develop kidney failure until 8 years. In Doberman pinschers and Norwegian elkhounds, signs of kidney failure may also appear later in life (6 years of age).In thesamoyed,because inheritance is sex-linked, males are more severely affected. Male pups with hereditary glomerulonephropathy usually show signs by 2 to 3 months of age, and kidney function deteriorates rapidly, resulting in death by an early age (approximately 1 year). Although affected females still show some kidney dysfunction, it is less severe and does not progress to kidney failure. Even if only mildly affected, they are carriers of the disorder and should not be bred.InChinese shar-peidogs affected with amyloidosis, amyloid (a type of protein) is deposited in the kidneys and other organs. Most of the time, the clinical signs you see relate to disruption of kidney function which eventually (by about 3 to 5 years of age) leads to kidney failure. Affected dogs may have intermittent fever and swelling and pain in their joints, especially the hocks.Pembroke Welsh corgiswith renal telangiectasia have episodes of blood in the urine as adults.

Disease Cause: -

Disease Diagnose: The signs described above can have several causes, including other inherited disorders such as a heart or liver defect. Your veterinarian will do blood and urine tests that will point to your dog's kidneys as the cause of the problem. Typical signs of CRF include azotemia, hyperphosphatemia, isosthenuria, and nonregenerative anemia. Calcium concentrations are variable. Persistent proteinuria is highly suggestive of hereditary nephritis, even before any clinical signs are evident. Proteinuria is not a consistent sign in renal dysplasia. In suspect bull terriers, repeated protein/creatinine ratios 0.3 provide supportive evidence for hereditary nephritis in dogs that are older than 2 years of age, but who show no overt signs of renal failure. This provides important information in decisions about breeding. Male samoyeds with hereditary glomerulonephropathy develop proteinuria, glucosuria and isosthenuria by 2 to 3 months of age, and azotemia and overt renal failure by 6 to 9 months. Affected females (carriers) develop proteinuria at a young age but may never progress to renal failure. In cocker spaniels with familial nephropathy, proteinuria is usually present by 4 to 6 months of age and is persistent and marked. This is followed by decreased growth, and the development of isosthenuria and azotemia. There are 2 different familial renal syndromes in the soft-coated wheaten terrier- renal dysplasia (onset usually before 2 years of age) and protein-losing enteropathy and nephropathy (onset 2 to 11 years of age). In Chinese shar pei dogs with renal amyloidosis, proteinuria is usually marked, although it may be mild or absent in dogs with renal medullary, but not glomerular, amyloidosis.

Treat Method: There is no cure, but there are ways to slow the progression of kidney disease, which your veterinarian will discuss with you. These include making sure your dog always has access to fresh drinking water, feeding a special (high quality, low-protein) diet, and the use of some medications which help to support kidney function.Your veterinarian will help you to recognize the signs that your dog's kidneys have deteriorated to the point where euthanasia becomes the best option. Patients should be managed (including regular monitoring)as for other animals with chronic renal failure. The goals are to maintain normal hydration and electrolytes, delay the progression of renal failure and its complications, address signs of uremia (eg.vomiting), and minimize proteinuria.

Breeder Advice: Affected animals should not be bred, and neither should their parents. Any related animal being considered for breeding should be screened for protein in the urine, which is an early sign of kidney disease.All bull terriers being considered for breeding should be screened by measuring protein/creatinine ratios ( a simple test requiring a blood and a urine sample). Ratios greater than 0.3 on 2 occasions more than a month apart, indicate potential hereditary nephritis. Kidney function in these dogs should be monitored, and they should not be used for breeding.

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